Unusual You
by xicantbreathe
Summary: <html><head></head>"If I would have met Nick under any other circumstances then I had, I don't think I would've fallen for him as hard as I did." -NILEY- R&R.</html>
1. Chapter 1, Part 1

**Present day.**

My name is Miley. Miley Stewart, to be exact. And Nicholas Jonas? That would be my boyfriend... Well, he used to be.

If I would have met Nick under any other circumstances then I had, I don't think I would've fallen for him as hard as I did.

Nick was hired to basically be a barrier for me and protect me from my delirious step-father. When I was younger, terminal cancer caused my father to pass away. When I finally turned sixteen years of age, my mother decided to remarry. However, the man my mother saw fit to marry, saw fit to molest me. After a year of sexual abuse, I reported him, unable to tolerate it anymore, and he went to jail. Needless to say, he held quite a grudge during the 7 years of time he faced and he was coming after me.

That's how Nick came into my life. At first, he was hard, cold and dedicated to his job. It was more than tough for me to break through his shell but with the help of his brother, Joe, I finally cracked it.

Eventually, my step-father caught up with us and planned to murder us. Joe ended up enduring the worst injuries, as he took a concussion to the head. However, we weren't held captive that long before Nick got his hands on my step-father. He was soon after arrested.

A few months later, the two brothers came to visit me, declaring they quit the business. Nick, however, declared his feelings for me. That's how we started a relationship that couldn't be described as anything but impeccable.

I always knew that Nick was a free spirit. He loved the road, loved the adventures he experienced when traveling. I also knew that eventually, our relationship would end and he would need to travel again. I wasn't sure when this would happen but I always knew it would.

We dated for about a year and a half before the said event- happened.

One night I went to bed next to the man I was more than sure I was in love with and when I woke up the next morning, that man was long gone.

No note, no little recording, no answering of his phone... No good-bye... at all.

This wasn't like Nick... something was clearly wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>A few years into the past.<strong>

This is where the story begins.

I was sitting on a park bench near a little pond reading the day that I met him. It was a somewhat chilly fall afternoon and the air was crisp. I loved it.

The day started out so well. It was a good day or so I thought...

When he pulled up, I never bothered to think twice of him. He looked just like another everyday guy who drove around with vintage cars and listened to 70's and 80's era of rock music. A badass black leather jacket and an ego to match. But he was different. Slightly, and only in a way I would notice, but still.

As he stood next to his car, I noticed, in more detail, his appearance. He was wearing a pair of boots. Black docs which were faded by wear and tear, to be exact. He was also wearing dark denim boot cut jeans which was fitted in all the right places and also faded by wear and tear. His leather jacket laid over his T-shirt loosely. What I could see of his face at that moment was rugged and handsomely sharp with features. He was wearing the kind of sunglasses that motorcycle police officers would have worn in the 70's. All in all, he appeared kind of dated and old school scrubbish, but somehow, it all worked for him.

I must of been staring at him for some time because he looked over at me. Trying my best not to look too guilty, I casually looked back down at my book. I subconsciously started reading again, even though I wasn't quite sure I even knew what I was reading because my mind was still on him. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced his way again. This time, he was walking torwards me.

I did my best to keep my attention on the book and off of him. I shifted away from his direction slightly. Hopefully giving him the hint that I didn't want to be bothered.

So much for that thought...

"Excuse me?" That voice. Velvety smooth. I looked up at him slightly as he removed his sunglasses and for the first time, I got to see his eyes. They weren't anything special. Not yet, at least. Just the simple boring old brown eyes.

"Yes?" I tried to sound noninterested in anything he could possible have to say but he just gave me a simple smile and began to speak again.

"Are you, by any chance-" He reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded up piece of paper which appeared to be old. He unfolded it quickly, skimming through it with his eyes before finally looking back up at me. "Are you, by any chance, Miley Stewart?"

I looked at him surprised. Surprised that he somehow knew my name, had it written on paper and seemed to desperately need to talk to me. Still slightly baffled, I replied. "I'm sorry but do I know you?" I gave him another look.

No chance. I would have remembered him if I had ever met him. He smiled that simple smile again and sat down beside me on the park bench.

"No." He paused.

I wasn't sure what to say at all. Here sat this complete stranger, who knew my name and looked like a fantasy boyfriend I might have dreamed of having in my teenie years.

"This might seem a little... Odd." He began speaking again.

Oh, really?

"...but I really need you to come with me." He stated. He had yet to look at me since he sat down.

I let out a faint chuckle. "Come with you? Are you insane? I don't even know you."

"It doesn't matter." He stood and put his sunglasses back over his eyes. He looked around as though he was searching for anyone who maybe was watching us.

Was he trying to kidnap me?

I shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

He looked back down at me before leaning in closer. "You will if you want to live to see another day."

What? "Is that some kind of a joke? It definitely isn't funny." I replied angrily, feeling the adrenaline in my veins begin to pump rapidly, along with my heartbeat.

"And its definitely not a joke." He replied back.

"Whatever!" I stood up, shoving my book into my bag and brushed passed him.

"You can't go home. They'll find you there." He stopped me, speaking loud enough to reach my ears, but not loud enough to draw attention from others in the park.

How did he know I was headed home?

"What do you want from me?" I questioned, spinning back around.

There was that smile again. "Just what I asked. I need you to come with me."

"And If I don't?"

"If you don't, you will die."

Die? God, did I go to sleep in reality and wake up in Nuttyville?

"How do you know that?" I rolled my eyes, brushing away a strand of hair that rested over my forehead.

"That doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that you have to come with me. Bad things will happen to you if you don't and thats something I can guarantee, Mi."

Mi? A nickname already? Who did this guy think he was? I sighed, unable to belive myself for saying what I did next. "If that's the case... then how do I know I can trust you?"

"What choice do you have?" He raised an eyebrow.

Run away, screaming for help?

"I could just completely ignore everything you just said and go about my day like I never even saw you. That sounds like a choice to me!" I pursed my lips together.

He nodded. "I agree but you won't and you know why you won't?"

I hate know it all guys. I rolled my eyes, sucking in my breath. "Why?"

"Because you're intrigued by me."

Arrogant ass. But, I must admit, he was right. "Fine."

I know what you're thinking. 'What the hell is wrong with you?'. But I had a cell phone on me. If he indeed was as crazy as he sounded, I could have just called the cops. Besides, its not everyday where you just so happen to meet a man as alluring as him. You wouldn't have been able to help yourselves either.

"Come on." He stated with a tilt of his head as he nodded in the direction of his car.

I followed him over to the sleek black 71 Dodge Charger. It was in such a remarkable shape. Like the day it was bought. As we drew closer to it, I could see myself reflected in the black coating of paint. What wasn't painted black was chromed to perfection. This car was amazing and I almost swooned over it. My fingers grazed the hood slightly.

I heard him snap his fingers then turned to his direction. "Get your hands off of the car, sweetheart." He demanded, as he opened the passenger side door.

"Excuse me.." I replied.

"Get in!" He nearly shouted as he walked away from the open door and headed around to the driver's side. "And don't slam it!"

Anal about his car. Typical male for you, huh?

I got in the car and pulled the door as hard as I could. The glare in his eye as he looked over at me was priceless. I swear if we were somewhere deserted and alone where no one could hear me scream, he would have probably killed me.

"I'm sorry. Did you say slam it or don't slam it?" I asked sarcastically, almost giggling.

"I already don't like you..." He mumbled as he started the car.

"Where are we going?" I asked. He looked at me and then back at the road. I shook my head, slightly annoyed. "Oh come on, you can at least tell me that."

Still no reply.

A few minutes passed again. I turned to him to question him again when I noticed the look on his face. He appeared bored. Not the normal "there's nothing to do" kind of bored- but the "what am I doing with my life" kind of bored. How could someone so young be so zoned from life?

I realized that he had known my name but I, strangely, didn't know his.

"Will you at least tell me your name?" I asked, chewing slightly on my bottom lip.

He glanced at me again then turned back at the road. No answer.

I let out a deep breath and sat back in my seat, arms and legs crossed. That's when I heard a slight snicker escape from him. I looked over at him once again. "What are you laughing at? You think its funny that you can just kidnap me and tell me nothing about it? How do I know that you're not going to rape me or something?" I spat. "Why did I even get in this car with you?" I questioned more to myself than him. I really was contemplating it now. Letting all the bad things that could happen to me run through my brain.

"Nicholas..."

I looked at him, confused. "What?"

"My name is Nicholas... Nicholas Jonas." He looked over at me. "Just call me Nick."

"Nice to meet you." I stated, looking away from him.

He turned his attention back to the road. "Mhm."

I sat back in my seat and relaxed during the rest of the ride to where ever it was that we were going. For some reason, even something as simple as knowing his name, set me at ease. I didn't feel the need to worry about what was going to happen to me anymore.

Unusual, right?

**If you're wondering what happened to Captivity and Hidden in the Scars, look at my fanfiction profile.  
><strong>**New chapter soon. I already wrote it. :3 So, yeah. Review? Please and thank you, xo.  
>Oh, sorry I had to delete this and put it back up. I made too many spelling mistakes. ~<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Through the first hour and a half of our drive, it had been nothing but what someone would call "awkward silence." Every now and then, he'd turn on the radio only to turn it off again once it went off air as we exited the town we were passing through. I bit my lip and turned to Nick. "How much longer do we have to sit in this car?"

"Until I feel like stopping."

"Well, when do you think you'll feel like stopping?" I asked. He looked over at me and shook his head then turned his attention back to the road. After realizing that he was ignoring me again, I sighed. "How long until we get to where ever it is that you're taking me?" I asked.

He shrugged slightly. "A few days, maybe four, five at the most."

"Days? For the love of God..." I thumped my head back on the window and instantly felt that glare of his burning through my skin again. I shifted my eyes away from him and glanced out the window. The sky looked beautiful. Mixtures of red, orange, blue and purple blended together to form what I considered a perfect sunset. I think any movie director would die for a sky like this in the background of their romantic kissing scene. This was the perfect moment for a romance and here I was, wasting it with some guy who looked like he was going to a Bon Jovi concert.

Another meaningless hour passed and I was close to propping my feet up on his precious dashboard and passing out when he began to speak. "I think there's a motel a few miles ahead. I'll stop there so you can rest."

I turned to him, half-smiling. "What, you don't need any sleep?" No answer. Why I assumed he'd give me one? I'm not sure.

Just like he said, there was a motel a few miles away. He pulled the car into the parking lot and turned off the engine. We sat in silence for a moment as he rumaged around the car. He appeared to be looking for something. "What?" I questioned.

He shook his head. "My wallet..." He mumbled, reaching over me to his glove box compartment. I could smell that refreshing scent of axe on him. It was amazing.

The comparment fell open with a thud as he reached his hand in and riffled through the papers. He pulled out a wad of cash which was wrapped up in a thick rubberband.

"A wallet? I didn't know they looked like that." I stated.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Come on." He got out of the car and headed torwards the back of the car. I got out and stretched before I walked around the car and stood next to him, watching as he rummaged through his trunk.

The trunk was full of stuff. I counted about 4 large-sized dufflebags. What was in them? I couldn't tell you. Some dirty clothes, I assumed. It appeared he was on the road alot.

He grabbed two of the bags and shut the trunk quickly. "Come on." He repeated and I, willingly, followed him into the motel.

As we stepped into the office, I was suddenly overcome with a slight case of claustrophobia. The office was cramped full, with a desk, six tall filing cabinets and four smaller ones. There also sat a small fridge in the corner and a TV hung attached to the wall. Papers in folders and some with out folders where scattered all about. So much for being organized.

"Come on." He repeated again. Three times in the last ten minutes. I watched as he dragged his bag torwards a room.

"Aren't you going to pay before you get settled? You can't just walk in like you own the place." I shouted, folding my arms.

He stopped walking and turned around, sending me another glare. "Do you see anyone around here for me to pay?"

I looked around, realizing that no one was in sight except for me and him. "Maybe the person who works here is using the bathroom. We can just wait here for them to come back."

"I'll just pay them when they return. Now, will you come on so I can put these bags down?" He let out a deep sigh before turning around and walking off again.

"Heavy?" I joked, following him.

He proceeded to open one door but it was locked. The next one was also locked. The one after that was locked as well. Almost every door in the motel was locked except for the last one. This time, without any sort of issue, Nick opened the door to the room and flung it open. As I came into the doorway, he switched on the light and a scream of laughter flew from my lips.

White shag carpet flowed across the floor towards a bed with white and red satin sheets, topped with pink heart shapped pillows. On the wall was pink striped wallpaper with red hearts scattered through. In front of the door was a heart shapped rug that appeared to be a little old and dirty, with the words, "In Life and Love" stitched across it. On the other side of the room was a red leather couch.

"This must be the honeymoon suite." I giggled as I came further into the room. I heard Nick drop his bags and sigh. I turned to him. "Oh, come on. This is funny. Laugh."

He gave me a stern look and tossed his bags onto the bed before he began inspecting the room. I watched him roam around a minute before my fixation came to his bags. What could he have in them? Guns? Knives? Explosives? "Whats in the bags?" I questioned. He looked back at me for a moment.

"One has clothes in it, the other has towels if you feel the need to use them."

"Oh..." I sat down on the bed and slid off my jacket and then my shoes. I looked up as Nick discarded his jacket as well. My eyes widened slightly as he pulled a pistol out of the back of his pants. He tossed it onto the stand where the TV sat.

"What are those for?" I asked.

He looked back at me slightly. "Precautions."

Which reminds me... "You know you never told me what's going on here."

"Mhm." He walked over to the bed and opened one of his bags.

"Well aren't you going to tell me?"

"What are you? A 7? 9?" He questioned, completely ignoring my question.

"In what?"

He tossed some clothes at me. "Nevermind, just take those." I shoved them aside, watching closely as he walked over to the door and fully locked it.

I sighed. "Nick. Look, I understand the non-bonding attitude you're trying to put out because I'm assuming that makes your job easier but I have a family at home and I have plans with friends. They're going to begin to wonder what happened to me and I'd feel much better if you could at least tell me if this is worth the worry!" I demanded.

He turned to me and stood for a moment. For the first time since I had saw them, I saw a light in those dark eyes of his. Perhaps, it was a sparkle. A sense of understanding and compassion for my situation. "I'm sorry but for now, I think its best that you don't know." He spoke softly. "Don't worry about your friends or your family. Everything has been taken care of. They're safe. You can have my word on that."

I hadn't known him very long but by the tone in his voice and that surprising look in his eyes, I knew it was okay to take his word.

"Alright." I nodded gently. "So which one of those bags has towels in them?"

He tossed one of the bags at me.

"Thanks." I grabbed a couple out of the bag and began to search through the pile of clothes he tossed me earlier then headed toward the bathroom. I reached for the knob but it wouldn't turn. I tried jerking it a few times before stopping and proceeding to tell Nick that it was jammed but then the strangest thing happened. It began to move. I giggled. "Nick..." I started.

"What?" He called out.

"Since when do doorknobs move by themselves?" I shouted, turning around.

"What?" He called out again.

"Since wh..." was all I got out before I was suddenly pinned to the ground by two strong arms. My face was pressed against the floor as Nick laid pressed beside me with a blanket covering us both. No more than a few seconds later, an explosion burst from behind the bathroom door, sending it flying across the room.

After a moment, Nick got up quickly and took a look around. "Are you okay?" He called down to me.

I ignored the question, pulling myself up off the floor. "No, I'm not okay. What was that all about?" I asked, raising my voice. My chest heaved up and down, while my heart pounded rapidly inside of my chest.

Nick shook his head, grabbing his pistol off of the TV. "We need to leave."

"Leave and go where?" I questioned, brushing my hair out of my face. I shook my head. "Can you just take me home? Please. That's the only place I want to be at right now."

He shook his head. "We just need to leave, okay? Look, I know this is confusing and a lot to take in but that bomb in the bathroom was planted there for you." He looked out of the window, then back at me.

"For me? I don't get it." Although it kind of made sense. I was in what seemed to be an abandoned motel with only one unlocked room and a man that I didn't even know.

"Someone's trying to kill you, Stewart."

Kill me?

**So, I didn't get a lot of reviews on this but it's funny. You guys know that neopet website, right? I rejoined it because I had an account but I haven't been on since I was like... 7. I forgot the password so I made a new one and I had to confirm my email and I went on my email and I had all these notifications saying that people added this story to their story alert or something. o.o Thank you. Rofl. I'll update again next week, probably. Or even before that.**


	3. Chapter 3

The truth is, after I was told that someone was intentionally trying to end my life, I fainted and Nick ended up carrying me back to his car. I woke up, feeling a bit disoritented and embarrassed. I looked over at him and I quickly noticed that he was very much concentrated on the road ahead of us.

I didn't know how much longer I could go without knowing what was going on.

"Nick?" I muttered, sitting up and leaning torwards the front of the car so that he could see me. "Will you please just tell me what's going on? I want to know everything."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Stewart, this isn't the time for me to explain to you. Got it?"

"Miley." I corrected him, rolling my eyes. I began to slightly raise my voice. "And no, I don't get it. So why don't you just explain to me?"

"What?"

"I said, I don't get it!" I shouted.

He rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the road. "Before that."

"Miley. Call me Miley."

He seemed to be as disoriented as I was. "Oh."

I nodded. "Stop the car."

"Why?"

"Just stop the car!" I commanded him, throwing myself into the backseat again. He nodded slightly at me before pulling the car over into the side of the road. Moving quickly, I opened the front door and began walking torwards- who knows where? I was just walking away.

It wasn't long until Nick was chasing me down the road with his car, driving beside me. "Hey, wait a second, where do you think you're going?"

"You won't tell me what's going on and quite frankly, I've had enough of this. This is starting to feel a lot like a movie to me." I replied hastily as I stopped in front of the car, staring at him through the glass. "At least tell me HOW this person knew where to find me."

"Get back in the car and I'll tell you." He called out, leaning over in the car and pushing the passenger door open. "C'mon, we don't have all day."

Within a matter of seconds, I was back inside of the car, this time in the front seat, and Nick was pulling off from the side of the road. "Spill the beans." I said, cleaning out dirt that somehow found it's way into my nails.

"I don't know." He replied to me quietly.

I felt my face twist. "You said if I got back into the car, you'd tell me!" I whined.

He appeared to be thinking to himself and without warning, he shouted out loud. "I got it! That's the only way."

"What? What are you talking about?" I asked.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and examined it carefully. "Whoever it was probably tapped into my phone. That makes sense, right?"

The more he talked, the more this sounded like a movie.

I shot him a fake smile. "How reassuring to know. Thank you." I groaned, implying heavy sarcasm in my tone.

"I'm sorry. "

I looked over at him. "For what?"

"For making this complicated. But believe me, it's as complicated for me as it is for you. I'm not used to working with women." He confessed, looking back at me. When our eyes met, he looked away again. Talk about awkward.

I giggled. "Oh. So I'm like, your first damsel in distress, huh?" I joked.

"Yeah. You can say that." He replied, half-smiling. Almost as if he wanted to laugh but didn't want to change his 'tough guy' appearance.

"So where are we going, anyways?"

He looked away from the road, down at his phone. "Could you hold the wheel for a minute?"

I nodded, leaning over and holding the wheel as I watched him. He opened his phone, went through a few of his text messages then snapped it in half. I watched in amusement as he tossed it out of the window.

"What was that all about?" I asked him, moving back into my place as he placed his hands on the wheel.

He shrugged. "Nothing. Now, we'll just wait until we get to the next city. We'll stay in a hotel with a better security system."

I shook my head. "We don't have to stop. That explosion opened up my eyes. Besides, if I get tired, I'll just sleep in the backseat."

He shrugged, the corner of his eyes turned torwards me. "I guess, if you feel safer that way."

With a bit of hesitation, I reached over and turned on his radio. I was expecting something old from a previous era but the lyrics to Brett Dennen's "Heaven" flowed from the speakers. I wasn't into folk music but this was kind of relaxing. I felt, oddly enough, safe.

_Heaven ain't got no prisons, no government, no business,_

_No banks or politicians, no armies and no police._

_Castles and cathedrals crumble, Pyramids and pipelines tumble,_

_The failure keeps you humble, and leads us closer to peace._

It only took me a few hours before I decided to retreat to his backseat and drift off to sleep. You know what's funny? Despite the situation I was currently in, I was able to have dreams as I slept. Dreams of my family, my friends and... Nick?

In my dream, Nick and I had met under sweeter circumstances. We grew to be friends,and eventually more. My friends loved everything about him and my family simply adored him almost as mush as I had. But why was I even dreaming about him? He was still pratically a stranger to me. Although, it's possible that he could've been there by default. I haven't seen anyone else except him within the past 18 hours. Who else was supposed to occupy my thoughts?

I can't lie though, I enjoyed my sweet dream.

The next morning when I woke up, a jacket blanketed me and the car was parked in the lot of a small diner.. I sat up and looked around. Nick was no where to be seen. Slowly, I crawled into the front seat and then out of the car towards the diner, dragging his jacket with me. I put it on and made my way into the diner, assuming that he might have gone in to get us some food or even use the phone.

The diner was slightly crowded with what appeared to be travelers and a few bikers. I looked around quickly and spotted Nick over by the pay phone. Just as I had figured.

He was leaning against the wall with the phone cradled in the curve of his neck. He was jotting some stuff down in a small notepad. He appeared to be annoyed.

"My, my, my. Aren't you a sexy looking thing?" A deep, grungy voice broke my concentration on Nick.

A table of bikers.

Not the normal, hardcore, living for the ride, road kind of bikers- but the pretty boy bikers who are full of it.

"Excuse me?" I asked, chewing down on my bottom lip slightly.

"Why don't you do me a favor and come over here? You can ride my bike." He stated, a cocky grin appeared on his face. It was one of those cocky smiles that makes you want to punch it off of thier face. His friends chuckled in amusement at his so-called humor and I smiled slightly.

I leaned over and looked him in the face. "Now, you know I can't ride your bike if there's nothing to straddle!" I spat with a smile, letting my once-so-familiar country accent get the best of me. His friends laughed lightly, trying hard not to, and the embarassment and anger became obvious on his face.

"You're quite the mouthy one, aren't you?" He asked, getting out of his seat. I backed away slightly. "I kind of like that." He grabbed a strand of my hair and I tried to push his hand away.

"Sorry, I only sleep with real men, not posers." I half-smiled until I saw the look on his face.

Maybe that last joke went a little too far. Insult his manhood once, shame on him. Insult his manhood twice, shame on me. He grabbed my arm and jerked me toward him. "You're really asking for it, aren't you?"

A wave of relief passed through me as I heard Nick's voice beside us. "Excuse me? I don't mean to interrupt your little whatever but I have a problem with it."

"Believe me, this girls mouth deserves a good slapping." He replied, laughing.

Nick nodded. "That's just the thing. This girl's mouth kind of belongs to me." He stated. "I'd really appreciate it if you would take your hands off her."

The guy tightened his grip on my arm. I looked between them. He stared at Nick and Nick stared at him. Neither of them were really showing a sign of backing down. And quite frankly, I was growing bored and my arm was really starting to hurt.

After a minute or two, the man gave up. "Fine." He let me go and Nick smiled.

"Good choice!" He replied, with a slight hint of smart-ass. The man sat back in his seat as I followed Nick down the counter. He picked up some food and then went back out to his car.

"Why didn't you wake me when we stopped?" I asked, following.

He shrugged. "After what happened yesterday, I felt like you needed the rest." He held the bag of food up. "I wasn't sure what you'd eat, so I got a little bit of everything."

I laughed. "Whatever it is, it smells great."

He smiled again. "So, what'd you say to piss off that guy in there?" He asked.

I shrugged. "When I went inside to look for you, he hit on me and not in a nice, polite, gentleman type of way either."

"Wait, what? He hit you?" Nick replied, cutting me off, his tone sounded more serious than ever. He paused in his tracks.

I giggled. "No, I mean, he was really rude. He was all like, 'Come over here and you can ride my bike.' So I told him 'You know I can't ride your bike if there's nothing to straddle!' Then we kind of just went back and forth until I told him I only sleep with real men, not posers. He got pissed off after that."

He laughed and began walking again. "Nice one. You know, you're going to be a lot more trouble then I expected."

"Yeah, probably. I am quite the smart ass." I stated, nodding.

"Great." Sarcasm.

I nodded again. "So where are we going?"

"East."

I looked down at the ground. "So how long do you plan on hiding the truth from me?" I asked quietly.

"Believe me, I'll hide it for as long as I can." He stated.

"Fair enough."

Once we got in the car and started down the road again, the usual started. The music was blaring, there was no conversation and there was a lot of boredom. About an hour into the ride, I turned down the radio and turn to Nick in my seat.

He didn't bother looking over at me. "What?"

"Can we play a game or something?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Like what?"

"Like..." I thought hard for a moment. What did I really want out of him? "20 questions?"

He looked over at me a moment and then turned his eyes back to the road. "We'll play that game on one condition. You can't ask me any questions about where we're going , why, why you're here or why someone is after you. Okay?"

I kicked my feet up and groaned. "Fine, whatever."

He smiled. "Ask away, Stewart."

"It's Miley, M-I-L-E-Y." I growled, turning to him. "So, where you from?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know exactly where I was born because of all the traveling but the earliest I can remember is New Jersey."

I nodded. "No wonder you like traveling. Why did you move around so much?"

He shrugged again, sinking into his seat a little. "My dad."

"Military? That's cool."

He looked over at me. "No, actually. My dad was an alcoholic."

"Oh." I said softly, looking away.

"Yeah, my mom and me ran from him for- I don't know, 9 or 10 years. I was fifteen when he finally caught up with us though. We were living in Virgina."

"What happened?" My curiousity got the best of me. He ignored me. Part of me felt kind of bad. It really wasn't any of my business. "Nevermind, it's okay, you don't have to answer that. I shouldn't have asked. That's not my business."

But surprisingly, he answered anyways. "He came to my house, saying he was a salesman and he wanted to talk to my mom. I didn't recognize him at all so I believed him." He paused for a moment and looked at me. I stared out of the window, hesitating to look back at him as he continued his story. "And the second he saw my mom, he lost it. He started screaming and tossing things everywhere. I didn't understand at first but then she called him by his name and I realized it was him. He grabbed her and started beating on her, hitting anywhere and everywhere. I wasn't sure what else to do so I just jumped on him, hoping to draw the attention away."

My eyes widened and I looked over at him. "Did it work?"

He shrugged. "He threw me off him before hitting me a few times then he pulled out a pocket knife. I got stabbed a couple of times in my side and on my back." He lifted up his shirt and I noticed four small scars in his side and towards his back. He pulled his shirt back then. "After that, I just laid there and watched while he kept hitting my mom. He stabbed too but only a few times before dropping the knife. He fell to his knees, pulled a gun from his jacket and shot himself in the head."

I wasn't really sure if I should believe him or not. That's a bit too dramatic and seems like it'd only happen on some TV show like CSI. But then again, who would lie about such a thing?

"Was your mother ok?" I questioned.

"She was fine but he died a few years ago from complications of diabetes."

"I'm sorry." I said quietly.

He nodded. "So, anything else you want to know?"

I nodded back at him. "Where do you live now?"

He shook his head. "Nowhere, I'm still jumping around."

"So I take it that you don't have a wife and kids or anything?" I asked.

He laughed lightly at my question. "I don't even have time for a girlfriend, let alone a wife and kids."

"Well would you like a wife and kids?" I made an attempt to smile.

"Maybe. You know, it's never really out of the question."

I nodded. "Since you don't have a wife, or a girlfriend, how do you cure your loneliness?"

"One night stands." He smirked, looking over at me.

I laughed. "That's interesting."

He nodded. "Yeah, so what about you? Why don't you have a boyfriend?"

How did he know I didn't have a boyfriend? "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've done my research. You haven't had a boyfriend in two years. Why is that?" He looked over at me, curiousness in his eyes.

I looked out of the window and cleared my throat. "You should've done a little more research." I looked back at him. "My last boyfriend cheated on me. Not with just anyone but with one of my so-called best friends. Now they're married and they have a kid on the way. Even though I shouldn't be, I'm happy for her. She found her special someone. I mean, I thought he was MY special someone and I did love him but the two of them showed me that he wasn't the one for me so I just let it go."

He looked away from me. "Do you still talk to her?"

"Are you kidding me? No. I don't talk to her. She chose a relationship over a friendship and on top of all that, she's a no good skank. But having to see them together at every family gathering makes it hard to overcome that heartache."

"That's horrible."

I sighed, then trying to lighten the mood, I spoke again. "But you know, it sure is nice pretending to be your girlfriend."

He laughed slightly. "You mean, it's nice trying to get me beat up?"

"Yeah, that too." I smirked. He glared at me, causing me to burst into a fit of giggles. "I'm just joking! I didn't do it intentionally and besides, you were the one who came in and caused problems for yourself."

"I was trying to protect you, that's my job, remember? Anyways, the guy was a chump. I knew he'd back down."

I nodded. "And if he didn't?"

"I'd probably be a little sore right now." He laughed again.

Though I didn't finish my 20 questions, I knew that we were going to be together for at least a few more days. At the moment, I had all the time in the world with him. The questions could wait.

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><p><strong>This story still exsists? Oh. :3 I'm sorry. I forgot about this, ha. So, um, I hope you liked this chapter.<strong>

**-awkward silence- Yeah, okay. Bye.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long.**

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><p>The day dragged on slowly as usual and my boredom was beyond anything you could possibly imagine. I sat, uneasy, in my seat as I peered out at the scenery of endless trees outside the car. And let me just say, this car was beginning to feel like a prison and the more I sat here, the more I yearned to stand on my own two feet.<p>

I looked over at Nick. He appeared to be extremely tired and in need of a good rest. But hell would most likely freeze over before he admitted it. He rested his head in the palm of his hand as he leaned against the door and continued driving. The window was rolled down and the breeze from his slight speed was blowing on him. It was almost a picture perfect moment.

I turned my attention away from him, grabbing a piece of paper from out of his glove box and a pen from my purse. He looked over at me slightly as I began to doodle on the paper.

He tried to get a closer look at the paper but failed as I shifted it away from him. "What are you doing?" He questioned me, gazing intently at the road while stealing small glances at me.

"Writing." I replied, simply shrugging my shoulders. I shifted once more in my seat, planting my back against the door and propping my feet up on the seat.

"What are you doing? This isn't a couch you know." He complained, glaring at me.

"Would you just stop? I'm not going to hurt your precious car!" I rolled my eyes at him, dragging my feet closer torwards me and pulling off my shoes. "Look, I even took my shoes off!" I wiggled my toes at him. He shook his head, looking back at the road. And I went back to doodling.

At least a half an hour went by since I started sketching away on the paper before it was too much for Nick.

"You know what? You're driving me crazy. What are you doing?" He asked again.

"Lord have mercy on my soul." I sighed, slamming my pen down and glaring at Nick. "Can you please tell me WHY you HAVE to know EVERYTHING?" I questioned him, slightly annoyed yet amused with his eagerness.

"Because I said so..." He replied childishly.

I frowned. "What does it matter what you say, anyways?"

"I'm the one keeping you alive." He protested sharply, then grabbed for the paper.

I quickly moved it out of his reach. "You can't even say pretty please?" I teased. He frowned at me, before grabbing one of my legs and pulling me across the conjoined seats. He pulled me so close that I might as well have been sitting in his lap.

"I don't say things like pretty please." He muttered.

I did everything I could to keep myself from letting him know that I liked the feeling of his strong arms around me. "You're such a baby!" I stated and handed him the paper. He snatched it away as I scooted back into my seat. He looked back at me, a skeptical look on his face.

"What's this?" He asked, skimming through the paper with his eyes.

I shrugged. "What does it look like?"

"It looks a lot like a list of pros and cons about me." He replied.

I smiled. "Oh, and you know what?" I leaned toward him, "It IS a list of pros and cons about you." He frowned at me and set it down on his dashboard. I frowned back at him. "What? You're not going to read it? That takes the fun out of it!"

"I'm driving!" He exclaimed.

"I thought someone like you would be multi-talented!" I replied sarcastically and grabbed the paper back. "I'll read it to you. Cons. Pig-headed, bossy, arrogant, rude and violent!" I stated as I added that last one on.

He smirked. "Violent?"

I pointed to my ankle, "There WILL be a bruise there by the morning."

He nodded. "Yeah? Well, I have some cons for you. You're a complainer, sarcastic, a smart-ass and you stare at me so much, it makes me uncomfortable."

"I don't stare at you..." I protested, feeling my cheeks flush with heat. Maybe I did but I wasn't going to admit it.

He laughed. "You've been staring at me like I'm a piece of meat and you're starving." He looked over at me.

"You're so conceited!" I shouted, glaring at him.

"And you're annoying." He shot back.

"...Jerk." I muttered to myself as I crossed my arms and leaned back in my seat.

We were quiet the rest of the drive until Nick turned into a bed and breakfast off the highway.

"Do you want to go in and get us a room?" He asked. I rolled my eyes at him, grabbing some money from his glove box. "Whatever." The two of us got out and I slammed the car door behind me as I walked torwards the building and went in. It was plainly decorated. No fancy decorations or anything, just like my mothers house. It reminded me a lot of home. I walked up to the desk and a girl about my age was sitting behind it. She flashed me a big smile.

"Hi!" She greeted me. She seemed rather bright and bubbly.

I nodded at her, half-smiling, still pissed off that Nick had called me annoying. "Hi. I need a room for two please."

"Two beds or one?" She asked, still smiling at me.

I shrugged, almost wanting to say one, but I couldn't. "Two."

"How long will you be staying?" She asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

I shrugged. "Just for the night, I guess."

She began to type and press all kinds of buttons on her keyboard. "Just one second."

I heard the door open and Nick came in with some bags. He came to the counter and sat them down on the floor. The girl looked up from the computer and smiled, this time, her smile was wider. She seemed to take some particular interest in him. "Hi. Can I help you?"

"I'm with her." He stated, nodding his head at me as he began digging through his jean pockets, "You wouldn't happen to have a phone I could use, would you?"

She frowned slightly. "Yes. Right over here on this end of the counter."

"Thanks." He made his way over there and the girl turned back toward me.

"What's your name?" She asked me.

I felt a little uncomfortable. "Why?"

She twisted her face. "I need it for your check-in. It's a requirement."

"Put in his name." I said, pointing to Nick. "It's Nicholas Jonas."

She giggled. "Okay. Well, that'll be 70 dollars." I handed her the money. "And our bellhop is off for family reasons, so I'm afraid you'll have to carry your own bags. The room is up the stairs, fourth door on the left. Room 47." She handed me a key.

"Thanks." I muttered.

"If you don't mind me asking, is he your boyfriend?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm not sure what we are at the moment." I replied, even though I knew the real answer. We were nothing at all.

She looked over at him. "Well, he's definitely one of the most attractive men I've ever seen come in here." She stated then sighed then let out a laugh. I managed to laugh with her. "I hope you work out whatever is coming between the two of you. I think you'd make a cute couple!"

"Thanks." I muttered again, grabbing the bags that Nick brought in. I walked torwards him as he hung up the phone. He shoved a piece of paper in his pocket.

"Lead the way."

We ascended up the stairs, down the hall and to the door. I unlocked it quickly. As I stepped in, I was at ease at the simplicity of it. Nothing like the last room we stayed in. It was comfortable. I walked over to one of the beds and threw off my jacket, setting my purse down as well. I kicked off my shoes and plopped down on the mattress. It felt like heaven.

"I'm going to take a shower." Nick stated. I nodded at him. He grabbed a few things out of his bag and headed toward the bathroom but he suddenly stopped and turned to me. "Hey." I looked up at him. He took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry that I took all that con stuff so personal. I didn't mean what I said."

"It's okay, I wasn't exactly nice either."

He nodded. "But a sarcastic, smart-ass... I meant that." He headed into the bathroom as I laid on the bed and giggled to myself.

I pulled one of the bags off his bed and looked through it for something to sleep in. There wasn't much to choose from since we had forgotten most of the women's clothes at the other hotel. Eventually, I found a white tanktop. It was better than nothing. I sat and watched a re-run of Friends for an hour until I heard the shower water stop running. I turned off the tv and grabbed my things then headed toward the bathroom. "Hey, you better not have used all the hot water!" I called. The door opened and a roll of steam came out. He stood there, a towel wrapped around his waist.

What an intriguing view.

"What is that I hear? Is that whinning?" He questioned, smirking at me.

"Move out of the way!" I giggled, pinching him.

He laughed, moving out of the way.

I went into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I started the shower, then walked over to the mirror and let my hair down. I wiped the steam from the mirror with my hands and sighed. Who was this girl staring back at me? I hardly recognized her. The girl that used to occupy my reflection would have never done anything like this. She would have never run away with a stranger. She would never have put her trust in someone so unknown. She for sure wouldn't be standing here, debating how she felt, or why she felt the way she did. In a bathroom, of a bed and breakfast, in place she wasn't certain of, with a man too perfect for words. The girl in the mirror is definitely not the girl who used to be there.

In almost an hour, I finished my shower and headed out into the room as I towel dried my hair. "Do you feel like watching a movie?" I asked, as I dropped the towel to the floor and looked over at him. Nick sat on his bed, a piece of paper in hand, staring at me. When he still hadn't answered after a minute or two, I realized that he was staring at my barely dressed self. "Nick!" I stated louder and he looked back down at his paper.

"Uh, yeah that's fine, whatever." He replied.

I frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing that concerns you." He replied.

What? He chose to invade my personal space to find out what I was doing and now he tells me that what he was doing was nothing that concerns me? I should kick him between the legs for this. "Excuse you?"

"I'm doing something, just shut up." He shooed me off with a flick of his hand.

How rude. Now I was really going to kick him between the legs and maybe in the head.

I pursed my lips together, plopping down on the bed. I used the TV remote and began to flip through the channels. About half way through the second time through the channels, I couldn't take not knowing what he was doing anymore.

"Hey. Nick?" I looked up at him.

His focus remained on the paper. "What is it?"

"I'm kind of hungry. Could you like, go over to the diner and get me something to eat?"

From the look on his face, he didn't really want to but he got up anyways."Okay." He set his things down and got off the bed then grabbed his wallet and headed out the door. I attempted to count to ten and barely got to four before I grabbed the paper to read it.

I probably should've waited until ten.

Nick came back into the room and I looked up at him quickly and slightly concerned.

"Wait, you didn't tell me what you want-" He trailed off, noticing the paper in my hand. "Miley!" He scolded.

"Go away!" I rushed to the bathroom door and surprisingly, I was much faster than he was. I slammed and locked the door behind me, ignoring the loud bangs on the door. I drowned him out long enough to read it.

A list of pros?

I smiled slightly. No wonder he didn't want me to see it.

_Independent._

_Sweet._

_Funny._

_Beautiful._

My heart had skipped a beat. He thought I was beautiful. I continued to read the rest of the page. My heart felt like it stopped beating completely when I read the rest of it. Especially when I noticed a certain name listed. Cole. Cole Hembree.

"Miley!" He banged on the door. "Don't make me open this door by force!"

I unlocked the door, swinging it open and he backed up just as quick when he saw the horrified look on my face. "Miley." He sighed deeply.

"Cole Hembree?" I questioned, watching as he burried his face into his hands. "How do you know who Cole Hembree is?"

"I... I don't" He stated.

"Then how do you know his name?" I demanded an answer. The tone of my voice pierced through him harshly, I could tell by the look on his face.

"Cole Hembree... he's the one I'm protecting you from."

"Wait, what? No. Nuh uh, there's no way. No. He's in jail!" I replied, my heart began racing faster than I ever thought possible.

Nick shook his head. "He's out now. Has been for three weeks."

I began shaking my head at him. A comlete meltdown coursed through my veins. "No, that's such a lie! They swore he'd get ten years!" I couldn't control myself. The tears, the trembling, nothing. Nick reached for me and I smacked him away. "No! They promised!" I shouted through my tears. He nodded as he wrapped his arms around me. Banging against his chest as hard as I could, he tightened his grip and refused to let me go. So I gave up, laying my head into his chest, crying uncontrolably.

"I know, Miley. I know." Nick's whispered.

Cole Hembree was out of prison. What the hell was I going to do?

**So, who do you think Cole Hembree is? Review and let me know. =]**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so stupid, I already somewhat explained who Cole was in the beginning of this story. But oh well, here is chapter five. Get your popcorn out and enjoy.**

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><p>Okay, so maybe I should start off by explaining who exactly Cole Hembree is and why I'm so afraid of him.<p>

My father died when I was very little. He was a battling terminal cancer. One night, he went to the hospital and told me that he was just going to get a check-up, but he never came home. I don't remember much about him. Just the way he was always coughing and laying around when he came home. His name was Billy Ray Stewart. My mother was still young around the time that she birthed me. 17 years old, actually. So when my father passed away, she uprooted us to go live with her parents upstate. They were nice people, but we didn't stay there too long before she moved us again, to a place of our own. By the time I was eight years old, my mother was seeing guys left and right. She finally settled down with one of them when I was ten.

Cole Hembree.

A few weeks after they married, he adopted me and I was then considered Miley Stewart-Hembree. I never really thought of Cole as much of a father figure. He was still a kid much like I was. He was 24. My mother was 27.

As I grew older and into my teens, my mother grew into her 30s and Cole's attention began to grow towards me.

I often, if not all the time, caught him staring at me in the oddest of ways when I was doing the simplest of things. He watched over me when I brushed my hair, looked at me through the window when I walked the dog, sat and stared while I exercised in the living room every morning. He would even sit in the kitchen and watch in on me when my friends would be over. All the while, having this incredibly creepy look in his eye. And as the years went on, it got worse.

By the time I was 16, his just staring nature turned into accidental walk ins. For months after my 16th birthday, every time I was in the shower or getting dressed in my room, he always 'accidentally' walked in and forgot to knock.

I remember going to my mother and telling her that Cole was creeping me out. Always peeping on me and walking in, staring. All she did was tell me I was blowing things out of proportion. That Cole loved me like a daughter and he would never do anything to hurt me.

I could tell by the look in her eyes when she would say it, that she didn't believe it either.

Exactly a week later, after my talk with my mother, it all began.

Cole asked me politely to help him with something in the basement. I never thought to question it, because he always asked me to get things out of the basement. This hadn't been anything new.

As I descended down the stairs, he followed me, closing the door behind him. I turned to him, asked him what he needed help with. He smiled at me. A look on his face that I had only seen once before on another. It was the look my last boyfriend had. A look of yearning and lust. Although, this look was not as appealing on Cole as it had been on my last boyfriend. In fact, it was down right petrifying.

Before I could get out the words, he was on me. Hands grabbing at my clothes and my hair. I pleaded with him, asked him to stop, told him no. But he didn't listen. You can imagine what happened next. I'd rather not relive it all.

Every night after that day in the basement, he would come into my room or corner me somehow, and rape me. I never told my mother, or my friends, or anyone for that matter. I was scared of what he'd do, of hurting my mother. So I put up with his abuse.

But many months, two pregnancys and a birthday later, I had enough. On my 17 birthday, I went to the police station and told everything and anything I could. An arrest, a few exams, and a psych evaluation later, the trial ensued. Let's just say, justice prevailed for me.

When the verdict was read, Cole went crazy in the court room. He threatened to come after me, to make my life a living hell. He even threatened to kill me. They only gave him ten years for his crime and they promised me he would serve every day of it.

So much for kept promises, right? Cole Hembree was out of prison. And with the company of Nick at my side, it was obvious to me that he was still harboring his revengeful agenda. However, when I told Nick about Cole and what he had done to me. He was dumbfounded, he hadn't had a clue. Now that I knew _why_ he was here with me, it was time to find out why whoever hired him didn't tell him the whole deal and more importantly, who the 'who' was. But I wasn't going to bug about at the moment.

"Nick...?" I called softly. He still hadn't said anything to me since I told him about Cole. He looked up at me. "Are you OK?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He stated. I didn't really believe him though. He looked as if he'd been punched in the gut. But I left it alone. We laid down on our separate beds, but I knew neither of us were actually asleep.

A couple of hours passed and I looked over at the clock and it read 3:36 AM. I then looked over at Nick's bed. He was rolled over on his side, faced away from me. After the last two days with no sleep, he was finally resting. I smiled as I then inched my way out of my bed and found some pants to put on. I grabbed some money out of his wallet and set it back on the table. I had saw the sign for the diner across the street say it was 24/7 and I was starving and couldn't sleep. I knew I probably shouldn't have left with out him. But how could I wake him?

I left the room quietly and descended the stairs. As I came into the lobby of the cute little place, I spotted the young girl and a man standing towards the other end of the desk and I could hear him talking.

"Come on, Demi. There's no one around. Besides, you've been working all day. Can't you take a break?" His voice was kind of whiny.

"Jake, I know we haven't been able to spend time together. But i have to say here and work. I'm sorry." She stated with a saddened face.

"Fine. Let them run your life for you. Go ahead and continue to let them enslave you while they run around doing whatever the hell they want." He stated angrily as he left.

I waited a moment before coming into the room. She looked up at me and smiled. "Awfully early. What are you doing up?"

"Oh I was just going to get something to eat." I replied, "And you?"

"Working..." She replied.

"Who was that guy?"

"Oh, Jake? Yeah, he's my boyfriend. At least I think he still is." She paused a moment, "He's just really angry and frustrated with me, 'cause my parents have had me working non-stop for over a week now. I mean, I know he means well, he just doesn't understand."

"Where are you're parents?"

"Hard to say... they jump around so much."

"Well, maybe you should hire some one to help out. I mean they did leave you in charge and lets be honest, you can't run this place on your own completely." I stated.

She nodded. "I know." She let out a deep sigh and bit her bottom lip. "I guess we're on the same boat huh?" She smiled at me.

I laughed lightly and nodded remembering our last conversation. "Yes, I suppose so."

"So how is that going?" She asked. I smiled at her.

"Pretty much the same." I stated with a laugh.

"How long have you two been seeing each other?"

"Not too long, its still very much a new relationship."

"I remember when me and Jake first started dating. God, it was the greatest. Sneaking out, drive-in's, writing little love notes." She paused a minute to swoon over her memories. "Young love is refreshing, you know. Discovering new things, new feelings. Its priceless."

"Mhm." I guess. We both looked to the staircase as a thundering strut came down it, in a hurry. I saw Nick hit the bottom of the steps. His shoes were barely hanging on, his jeans were not even zipped up and buttoned properly and he was throwing on his jacket. As he looked up and saw me, both relief and anger grew on his face.

"What the hell!" He exclaimed, angrily. His face reddened as he glared lividly at me and his hand laid across his chest, where his heart was.

I excused myself from Demi and walked over to him. "Don't be so loud." I shushed him.

"Don't you ever leave with out me again." He spat at me with such demand and control.

"All I wanted to do was go-" As I spoke and looked up at him slightly like a lost puppy, he cut me off.

"Do NOT leave without me again!" He stated firmly with a look in his eyes that almost reduced me to shivers. He grabbed my head with both of his hands and kissed my forehead before pulling me into a cute, short hug. But even that didn't stop my shivers.

"OK." I coward back and looked down at my feet. I heard a sigh escaped his lips and his voice softened.

"You scared the shit out of me." He crooned softly.

"I'm sorry." I started. "I was just going to get something to eat, and then I saw Demi here and I just stopped and talked to her."

He looked over at Demi cautiously and gave her a slight smile before waving. "Nice to see you again." He turned his attention back to Miley. "Why didn't you wake me?" He asked.

"Because you haven't slept in a few days, Nick. And you looked so peaceful while you slept, there was no way I could wake you. You're not Superman. You're human just like the rest of us."

"I guess that would make me Batman then, huh?" He joked, with a laugh.

I punched him in the arm and smirked. "You're not funny."

"And you're not a hard-hitter." He grinned at me. "You call that a punch?"

"Shut up! It didn't hurt you 'cause you're a guy and I'm a girl! What do you expect?" I laughed, shaking my head at him. "So can we go eat before I starve to death?"

"Eating can wait 'til later, I can't have you going out at this time." He replied seriously.

"Fine, but when I pig out at breakfast, don't say anything." I watched as he motioned for me to go up the stairs. I looked over at the front desk to Demi. She was fiddling with some papers, pretending not to be watching us. I smiled at her with a wave good night and she returned the gesture.

As we settled back into our room, I sat on the side of my bed. Nick was seated directly in front of me, the phone to his ear. I can honestly say that I wasn't really listening to anything he said. But I was staring a bit. Outlining his face with my eyes as he held the receiver, watching as his lips moved. The simplest of thing that he did, hypnotized me in ways I couldn't really explain.

"Nick?" I called softly as I moved over next to him on the bed. He held up a finger at me as he continued talking on the phone. After a minute or two, he hung up and began writing again. But I hadn't really cared too much for what it said. He set it down on the night stand and looked up at me.

"What is it?"

"Can I ask you something?" I started.

He shrugged. "Why not?"

"And I mean _really _ask you something and get an honest answer from you. No childish bullshit." I replied, fiddling with my fingers.

Giving me a look, he nodded. "I'll try."

"Remember earlier when I took that paper from you?" I watched as he nodded, telling me he remembered, "Did you mean what you wrote? That you thought I was beautiful?" I questioned him, looking down at my fingers.

"I can't answer that..." he replied.

Smacking my teeth, I looked up at him. "Why not? It's a simple question!" A lie. "It won't change anything." Another lie.

"Won't it?" He asked as I frowned, "Besides, if it's such a simple question, then It's a simple answer. And that makes it of no importance, now doesn't it?" He declared. His tone was serious. Mostly him trying to convince himself it didn't matter, that I was of no real importance to him. That his feelings weren't really there. Heaven forbid he should take a leap of faith and accept these things.

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><p><strong>Review and tell me what you think? Chapter 6 will be up before school starts which is on the 23rd, I promise. And for those who are reading "At your best", I'm writing the next chapter now so it should be on later today. I'll post it on Twitter when it's up.<strong>

**And if you're not following, you should follow me. ;) xjustbreathe.**

**I love you guys sosososo much, thank you for reviewing. Especially TheMsBrandy1 (pardon me if I got your username wrong), you are so supportive. =]**


	6. Chapter 6

I woke to a smell of over cooked eggs and at least 3 different types of pork. "What is that smell?" I asked with a laugh.

Nick smiled at me. "Diner food." He replied.

"It smells..." I paused, "Well I won't lie, its smells like a heart attack."

He laughed before taking a bite of bacon. "Its good though." His statement was followed by a mock heart attack. I threw a pillow at him. "Hurry up and eat. We need to get on the road quickly."

I nodded. "Well, lets go. I can eat and change in your car."

He turned to me and gave me a dirty look. "No, Mi. You're not eating that in my car."

"Nicholas, my dearest captor, you have to learn to not be so anal. People will get the wrong impression!" I grabbed up all my things and started slipping my shoes on when Nick had another issue to discuss.

"You're not even going to put some pants on?"

I looked down at the wife beater. It drifted its way to right under my bottom. I looked up at him and shrugged. "I'm covered! Besides, I'm just going from here to the car. Who's going to see me?"

"Um, how about the biker's congregating outside." He replied. Geez. Didn't hide his jealousy much did he?

"Afraid one of them will sweep me off my feet?" I asked.

"More afraid of having my face bashed in cause you can't keep your insults to yourself. Or do you not remember the other day?" He questioned.

"As I recall, there were no face bashings." I smiled.

"No, but those weren't real bikers now, were they?" He threw me a pair of pants. "Put them on."

"Fine!" I gave in. I hate it when he is right, but I never want to see him wrong about something. How contradictive is that?

As we made our way out to the car, I stopped in the lobby to say good-bye to Demi. She seemed sad to see me go and I must admit it saddened me that I would never see her again. She was such a sweet girl.

"You take good care of her, you hear!" She called to Nick, who was waiting at the door. He looked up at her, flashing a friendly smiled.

"I plan on it." He replied.

I spoke my final goodbyes and headed to the car with him. He tossed our, well mostly his, things in the trunk as I got in. He got in almost as quickly as I did. "Forget anything?" He asked. I shook my head no and with that we were back on the road.

As almost an hour passed, I was developing a heinous headache from the loud pounding music blaring from the radio. I reached over and turned it off.

"What was that for?" Nick snapped at me.

"I'm getting a headache."

"I can't sit here in silence. I'll go crazy." He stated, turning it back on. This time, the volume seemed to be even higher than before she turned it off.

Smacking his hand away, I sighed in annoyance. "Nick, please? It really hurts." I whined.

"Fine." He handed me his sunglasses, "Those will help some and I'll stop at the next station to get you some Tylenol or something."

"Thank you." I laid back in the seat. "It was probably the diner food." I poked at him. He smacked my leg and I let out a laugh.

As the day went on, the temperature got hotter and hotter. I eventually reduced back down to just a tank top. I sat, leaning against the door, my head gently pressed against the window. My legs were stretched across the front seat, brining my feet to rest in Nick's lap. I had assumed he'd get annoyed with it and smack my feet away in a matter of minutes, but he didn't seem to mind much.

We came upon a gas station and Nick stopped in to get some gas. As the tank filled up, he leaned in the window and stared down at me. "You want something?"

I looked at him and smiled. "Ranch-flavored Doritos and a Vanilla Coke."

"Chips and a soda couldn't have been simple enough?" He questioned.

"I'm picky and you asked." I replied. "By the way, could you maybe get me a lollip or two? Gum would work too- preferrably Juicy Fruit. It doesn't matter which you get though, it's just that my mouth gets dry so I need to keep something in it."

"That won't be neccesary, I have something that will keep your mouth busy." He shook his head with a laugh and headed into the store.

"You're disgusting!" I laughed, sitting up and looking out of the window. There wasn't much around. Just a 'no tell' motel and an auto mechanics shop across the street. A deserted little place, yet it was pretty in its own rundown Middle America way.

My eyes shifted to the right as a car pulled up at the pump beside me. As the driver got out, I noticed he was rather young. Maybe a few years younger than I was. But he was tall, at least six feet and some inches, sun kissed cheeks and shaggy brown hair. Casually dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and some sneakers. I also had noticed that he drove the same car Nick did. A 71' Dodge Charger. All though, his was red and Nick's was black. I thought it rather odd, but left it at that as he made his way into the store.

Nick came out of the store, two fountain sodas and a bag full of junk food in his hand. He handed it to me through the window and put the gas pump up. He came around to the driver's side and stood a moment, as though he was watching something, before getting in the car. We pulled out just as the driver of the red Charger stepped out of the store. He shot a smile and a wave my way. I politely returned the gesture.

I began looking though the bag as we began down the road again. Few bottles of water, some Tylenol, my chips and a few granola bars. I glanced up at him. "What are you? A health nut?"

He laughed. "Not at all, but its to hot out for too much sugar." He replied.

I set the bag down and took a drink of my soda. I glanced in my side mirror and something caught my eye. The red Charger. I would have assumed he was following us if this hadn't been the only highway around. But it was, so I figured there was no need to mention it to Nick. However, there had been something else I had been wondering about. "Nick?"

"What?" He looked over at me.

"Will you tell me where we are going?" I asked.

"To a safe house." He replied.

"For how long?"

"For as long as it takes."

I nodded. "So, once you drop me off... What happens?"

"I'll be given another assignment." He stated.

Again, I nodded. The fact that me and Nick would eventually part ways never really crossed my mind. But now that I sat there and thought about it, it saddened me. I didn't want him to leave me. Shaking the thought from my head, I leaned in and turned the radio on. The sound of Shinedown's Save Me blared from the speakers. I leaned back in the seat and sighed. How convenient. A song about asking to be saved and here I was getting saved. Yet, I felt like I still needed to be saved. Saved from Nick.

Night time came quickly after our stop at the gas station. We stopped at a swanky hotel. It would be the only one for miles, or so the sign had stated. After we got our suite, Nick went to the lobby to make, yet, another phone call. I figured at this point there was no need to be so secretive, but that's what I've come to learn about Nick. He was all business and no 'pleasure'.

I ventured into the living area of our suite and rummaged though his bags. I found a notebook. Grabbing my purse to search for a pencil, I found my phone. I ran my fingers over it gently in debate. How nice it would be to hear a familiar voice, but I knew it was not the greatest of ideas. So, I tossed it back in my purse. I took the notebook and my pencil and retreated back to the bedroom. I late out on the bed and doodled a bit until Nick got back.

He came into the room, a yawn on his lips and a sigh in his voice. He dropped down on the bed, bouncing me slightly toward him. I laughed lightly. "Hey!"

"Sorry." He sat up. He looked over at the paper. "Who is that?' He questioned curiously, pointing at the doodle.

"It's a guy I saw at the gas station." I replied.

"How could you remember him in that much detail? You couldn't have seen him for more than a minute."

I nodded at him. "I know, but there was just something about him that reminded me of you." I began, "His eyes. He had really worn and tired eyes. A lot like yours."

Nick nodded. "For a minute there I thought maybe you found a new obsession."

"Jealous?" I poked at him.

"Relieved." He replied.

I frowned at him slightly. "Are you that repulsed by me?" I questioned.

He looked at me a moment before speaking. "Miley, its easier to not care..."

"Fair enough, but if the feelings already exist then isn't it harder either way?" I asked, he looked away slightly. "I'm getting ready for bed." I stated as I got up and headed toward the bathroom.

"Miley!" Nick called. I turned to him, watching as he came over to me.

"What?"

"I know this is a difficult situation. And you're seeking some comfort through me. That's alright though 'cause that's my job- to comfort you. But I refuse to let it go any further than me just being here for you. I can't take it any further. 'Cause what you think you feel is clouding your judgment. You're confused. You're just doing this 'cause you think you should."

Okay. Let's just say I'm officially offended.

"Oh, right. How silly of me. I totally forgot that I'm just a damsel in distress and I'm so helpless and clueless about my surroundings and heart that the only thing I can think of to return the favor to my Knight in shinning armor is to whore myself out to him! "

"Miley." He attempted to interupt me.

I held my finger up in his face. "You know what? Save it." I rolled my eyes. "I forgot I wasn't allowed a brain or feelings. Thanks for the update!" I grabbed a room key and headed for the door.

"You're being over dramatic!" He stated.

"Yeah? Well, please, don't hesitate to allow me to be even more dramatic!" I yelled back at him, as I left the room with a slam of the door. I had ventured down to the pool, where I sat at the edge, my feet dangling in the water. I had cooled off from my blow up and realized that maybe Nick was right. Maybe I was confused. And yes, I was completely over dramatic about it all. I was trying to think of an apology when he walked in.

But the_ he _I am speaking of was not Nick, but the guy from the gas station. Mr. Red Charger.

He walked in a towel over his shoulder, no shirt, and bright trunks. I'm sure you could imagine how gorgeous he looked. I tried my best not to stare, but I must admit, I failed miserably. He must of noticed because he came over to me.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked. I shook my head and he sat down. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"Gas station, a few hours back." I replied.

He looked at me with a nod as if he remembered something. "Oh right. The black Charger." He paused. "That's a nice ride. So where's your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" I questioned then realized he must of meant Nick. "Oh, no. He's not my boyfriend." I stated bitterly.

"Oh." He began. "What's your name?"

"Miley." I replied without a thought of concern.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Joe." He shook my hand.

We sat and talked for what seemed hours and even though there wasn't much shared, at the moment, I felt as though I knew him my whole life. After my heated argument with Nick and my sudden desire for affection, I couldn't resist when he asked me to his room.

I saw no harm in saying yes. It was just a one night stand and I was never going to see him again. What could it hurt?

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><p><strong>Oh, how I love cliff-hangers. And yes, Miley might seem like a whore in this chapter but I promise, I don't think of her that way and she is <strong>**not**** one in my story. You'll just have to wait for the next chapter, which I just so happily have typed out.**

**So, anyways. If you liked it, review. If you didn't like it, review. ~**

**The next chapter will be up either on Monday or before that, I promise.**


	7. Chapter 7

We barely made it through he door of his room before our lips attacked each other hungrily. Oh, his lips. How soft and sweet they tasted. And my sensations grew to an almost heavenly stature as Joe's hands roamed my body.

_Joe_.

I wasn't even sure that was his real name, but as we fell out on the couch of his suite, his lips rough against mine, it didn't matter. As his hand groped places that an hour earlier he would have gotten smacked for, it didn't matter. This was the comfort Nick refused to give me. This was the comfort I needed. Now, I was getting it and that was all that mattered to me. And the more undressed I became, the more I really began to question the sudden like behavior I was going through.

I mean, sure, Joe is gorgeous, and perfect at the moment. 'Cause this way I get my sexual frustration out, Nick eases up on me, and I never see Joe again. It was simple. It was perfect. For that short moment, anyway.

The door to the bedroom flew open quickly and quite loud. I looked over and saw Nick in the doorway. "Nick?" I exclaimed as I tried to get up, but fell to the floor ungracefully, a loud thud and a bruised tailbone followed. I grabbed the sheet off of the bed and wrapped it around me. I looked up at Nick once more, his eyes flared with anger. "Nick..." I walked over to him.

"Just go to the room." He demanded. I decided now wasn't the time for talk back and did as he ask. He followed behind me. As we entered our room, I tried my best to explain. "I know what you must be thinking..." I began.

"Save it." He stated.

"Save it? Nick, if you hadn't been such an ass, none of this would have happened."

He scoffed at me, shaking his head. "Oh, right. So, its my fault that you whored yourself out to a complete stranger? Stay out of other peoples beds at least until I get you to the safe house." He declared at me, the anger fueled even more in his eyes.

"Excuse me? The last time I checked, I was an adult and I was capable of doing whatever it is I please, and if that's sleeping with a stranger, then so be it!"

"Miley, if you go over there again, you will not like me in the morning!"

"What makes you think I like you now?" I argued. "Nick, you said you weren't taking your feelings any further. What gives you the right to tell me who I can sleep with?" I asked him softly. "You have no right to be jealous."

"He's my brother, Miley." Nick stated.

Please, God, please tell me that was a lame attempt at a joke. "Brother? Nick, that's not funny!" I stated.

"Does it look like I'm laughing?" He replied.

"Oh my god." Chest... swelling... lungs... can't breathe.

"Miley?" Nick questioned as I fell to my knees. Short, deep, loud breaths went in and out of my lungs rather quickly. "Wow, breathe!" He knelt down beside me. It took me a moment to breath easy again. I looked over at him.

"Oh my god!"

"Yes, you've said that." He stated.

"I feel _this _big." My fingers showed him just how small that was, the space between them was barely visible. I honestly felt small, like an ant almost.

"You shouldn't. I mean its my fault really. I shouldn't have said all that. And I especially shouldn't have asked Joe to look after you while you were so angry with me." He confessed. "He's a bit of a hound and with the way you've been feeling lately, I should have known better."

"Why didn't you tell me you had a brother?"

"The less shared between us, the easier the parting." He began, "Now I have to go yell and be the responsible one." He stood and headed out. I could hear them in the hallway rambling on. "What the fuck, dude!" his voice blared in Joe's room.

"Don't give me that look, Nick!"

"I told you to watch over her, make sure she was okay."

"And I did!" It was quiet a moment. "Nick, my brother, you have to learn to have a little fun!"

"Fun? This is fun to you?" Nick shouted, "Joe, the girl has someone trying to kill her. I'm here so that doesn't happen and I'm not going to let it happen. I don't need you making it worse by being your usual irresponsible self."

Joe laughed a little. "You like her!'

"Grow up, will you?"

"Dude, you so like her. You're like, severely hard up on this girl."

"She's just a job, Joe!" Nick retorted, angrily.

"Yeah, she is. A hot job, that runs around half naked in your tank tops. I know that's got to get your engine running. Hell, I'm getting a boner just thinking about it!"

"You're seriously demented. You know that?"

"Come on Nick, seriously, how many times have you thought about how sweet that peach is?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you."

"Nick, I've tasted greatness. This girl is to die for, and she appears more than ready to let you take her for a ride!" He laughed lightly, "Why? I'll never know."

"Listen, Joe, this may be hard for you to understand, but life isn't about always fucking the 'hot girl' "

"Since when?" He asked with a laugh. "You so just called her hot. You're so deep!"

I rolled my eyes slightly. And _this_ was the man I was about to sleep with.

"Shut up!" Nick shouted at him. He came back to the door and I sat on the couch trying my best to appear as though I hadn't heard them.

"So," I began, "How mad are you? Really?"

"I'm not mad at you. Like I said, it's my own fault. " He sighed, then looked at me. "Will you put some clothes on for heaven's sake?" I laughed lightly and grabbed one of the bags, I began looking though it.

"So, what kind of business is your brother in?" I asked curiously, searching for something to wear.

"Same." He replied vaguely.

"Oh. well you two must be really close then." I looked up at him.

He shrugged his shoulders at me, running his hand through his lucious and curly hair. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Is he going to join the party then?"

"He follows close behind every job." He stated then looked up at me. "Why?"

"Making conversation." I replied as I found something to wear. "Turn around!"

"Go in the bathroom!" He shouted at me.

"I don't want to! Turn around!" He huffed and turned away as I dressed. I sat down on the couch and he sat down at the other end as a knock came at the door. Joe followed as it opened.

"I thought you might want these back." He tossed some clothes at me.

"Thanks." I mumbled, catching them. I was more embarrassed than anything.

"Good night, Joe!" Nick chimed in.

Joe left with a smile and a thud of the door.

"Let's go to bed." I stated as I stood, He looked up at me and nodded. What? No 'I'm going to sleep on the couch' ? Cause that was the response I was expecting. We got into the bed and it was like heaven to my body. I was asleep in a matter of minutes. However, though my evening sleep was peaceful, I woke to an argument of sorts that morning. I hurried out of bed and to the door, where I cracked it open and stood and listened. To no surprise to me, it was Nick and Joe.

"C'mon, Nick. I didn't drive all the way up here for nothing." Joe whined.

Nick sighed. "No, just go back home, alright?"

"But you asked me to come help you!"

"Yeah, well now I don't need the help." Wow, his reply was bitter.

"Is this because she was going to sleep with me?" Joe asked. I heard him laugh a little with it. Such arrogance this one had.

"That's exactly what it's about."

"Come on, Nick. Green isn't good color on you."

"You just don't get it do you, Joe?" He asked. "You can't treat a job like you went and picked her up at a bar! You can't get involved!"

I hated how I was reffered to as a _job_. That made me feel like I was nothing.

"Why not? What does it hurt?"

"Feelings! I mean could you imagine how she would of felt if you two did have sex last night, then in the morning, she found out you were my brother? She would of been crushed! If you only knew the things she's been though, Joe!"

I smiled to myself. He did really care about me. I was more than just a job to him.

"And here I thought we weren't suppose to get involved."

"That's my problem, I will deal with it. I don't need your irresponsibility with it." Nick responded.

"Look, I'll admit, trying to bang your girl, totally out of line. I'm sorry, but maybe me being here will stop whatever feelings are roaming between you two from growing. Now, me? She doesn't care about me. She was just pissed at you and I was the token 'handy hot guy'." He laughed lightly.

It was true. I only chose him cause he was there, and gorgeous, and I THOUGHT I would never see him again. I didn't care about him at all. I was using him.

"Good morning!" I came out of the room. They both looked at me.

"Hey." Nick began, "Um, 20 minutes?"

"Sure, I can be ready in 20." I replied. It's not like I had to do my makeup or hair, or even pick out a cute outfit. I had nothing.

He nodded then sighed. "Joe, sadly, will be joining us."

"Really?" I asked nonchalantly. "Well, maybe this time he won't try to knowingly take advantage of me."

"Advantage of you?" Joe questioned.

"Enough. No more!" Nick stated. "You go get your shit." He said to Joe, who left the room as I headed into the bedroom to gather mine. Nick came in behind me. "Are you gonna be alright?"

"Nick. I'm going to be fine. I'm a big girl and it's not like I was exactly right either. Joe and I both messed up, though he was a little worse but only in the sense that he didn't come clean with who he really was. But he was right. I was only doing it cause I was mad at you. So its all out in the open and now it doesn't matter. What about you?"

"Me?" He asked with a laugh. "Yeah I'm fine. Believe me, this isn't the first time he's done something like this. I can handle it. Don't worry!" He continued out the door and I sighed.

Why couldn't he just give me the slight glimmer of hope that I wanted? Why couldn't he just be jealous of Joe? Why couldn't he just come out and say he cared about me? Why does the only perfect man in the world for me, have to be the only one I can't have?

As I followed him down to the car, I saw Joe waiting for us. "I call shot gun!" He stated with a smile. I sighed heavily.

"Wonderful." Great, not only do I have to deal with the fact that I'm possibly in love with a guy who's completely off limits, but I also have to deal with his arrogant brother who thinks he is god's gift to the female population.

Life Sucks.

Hardcore.

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><p><strong>The next chapter will be much, much, much better. I actually have another surprise in store that none of you will be expecting. And for those of you who are asking for more Niley moments, I promise you, you will get them. Reviews are appreciated, as always. And I'm sorry for not uploading Monday, I forgot!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

Have you ever wanted to poke your eye out with a pencil from the lack of excitement? Has boredom ever gotten to you so badly that you've actually taken your name and some how translate it into ten different languages? Including the one you and your brother made up to annoy your parents?

As I sat in the back of Nick's car, bored out of my mind, Nick and Joe sat in the front, completely silent to one another. The car was void of all sounds except that of the engine purring in its protective casing. I looked from Nick to Joe about a hundred times since we left the hotel an hour ago. Praying for some conversation, hoping for a fight. Anything to bring life back to this car.

I leaned over the seat and turned on the radio, but as I sat back down in the back, Joe reached over and turned it off. Grrr... "Excuse you, why'd you turn it off?" I asked, a frown plastered itself across my face.

"Cause I don't want to listen to it!" He stated.

"So what! I do." I reached back over and he smacked my hand out of the way. Uncool. "What the fuck is wrong with you!"

"Nick's obsession with hard metal and so-called rock gods give me a migraine and I'd much rather sit in silence than hear it." Joe stated.

"Well who the hell made you boss?" I questioned. "Nick? Cause I know I sure the hell didn't. And I'm not going to sit here in this car any longer without some kind of conversation or something of a musical nature coming out of these speakers. So make up your mind, Joe! My yapping voice, or his, as you like to call it, lack of taste in music?" I questioned. Joe looked at me and then at Nick.

Nick shrugged slightly with a laugh. "Don't look at me. It's your fight, not mine!"

"Whatever!" Joe huffed and turned the radio back on.

"Thank you!" I replied with a smile. I looked up and saw Nick smiling at me through the rear view mirror. I smiled back and laid down in the seat, trying to relax and enjoy the somewhat oddly calming of Chris Cornell's voice as it blared 'Black Hole Sun' from the speakers.

Not too soon later into the car ride to my so called 'safe house', it began to pour down rain outside. It began to rain so badly that Nick had to pull over to the side until it let up some. Though it made the atmosphere outside the car so nasty, the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the car was so very soothing to my nerves. I climbed over the seat and sat between Nick and Joe.

"What are you doing?" Joe asked, his annoyance with me was obvious.

"Sitting..." I replied.

He shook his head. "No. I mean, why are you up here?"

"Because the two of you bore me and at least up here, I can stir up some kind of emotion." I began. "I mean this has to be the most horrible thing that's happened to me since Nick abducted me from the park!"

"I didn't force you!" Nick argued.

"Fine, whatever. The point is, you're both boring! You're brothers for heaven sake. I'm sure you have some sort of embarrassing moments to share." I looked between them. Joe shrugged and Nick scoffed slightly.

"This one time, when Nick was five, he was sitting in a creek where he used to follow me and my friends around to. And he was just a sitting there playing in the rocks and the next thing I know, he's screaming."

"Joe..." Nick pleaded.

"So we get over to him and there's this baby turtle, and its lynched on to his penis through his shorts. So he freaked out, stood up and started running around.. and all the while this turtle is hanging from his shorts. We chased him the for an hour trying to get the turtle off." Joe stated while laughing. I looked over at Nick with a laugh.

"Did that really happen?" I asked.

"Yes. And it was mortifying."

"It was priceless..." Laughed Joe. "I wish I had a camera."

"Dude, I pissed blood for a week." Nick rolled his eyes. "At least I didn't sleep with my English teacher to pass my final exam!" He chimed.

I shot a look over at Joe. "Seriously?"

"It was a legitimate hook up. I was eighteen, she was twenty five... and it was in the back seat of my car." Joe stated.

"Ewa, this one?" I stated.

He shook his head. "And, I didn't do it to ace my final... she passed me so we could date... gave me an A- I really got a D." He replied.

"So did you date her?"

"Till grad..." He said with laugh.

"I don't believe you!" I shook my head, grinning. "I would have never thought of you as a- ew. No, just no. Let's change the subject."

Joe shrugged. "You were in school once."

"Yes, but all my teachers were fat old men or women." I corrected him.

"I can't imagine you with any lovers anyway. You seem kind of anal." Joe shrugged again.

Sighing, I rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah, well. I almost slept with you, so I couldn't be that anal."

"True, but how many times, honestly, have you had sex?" Joe asked with a quizzical look.

"Joe..." Nick began.

I shook my head. "No, its okay..." I started.

Joe looked from me to Nick and back to me, again. "What? Did I miss something?" He asked.

"My step father raped me every night, from the time I was sixteen until I turned 17. He's the reason all this is going on. He just recently got out of jail and he's looking for me." I stated quietly.

Joe looked at me and nodded. "Sorry."

I nodded. "It's okay, you didn't know."

It was quiet a moment before Nick began to speak. "It looks like this is going to take some time to slow down. You guys want to just try to find a hotel?" He asked.

"That would make me feel safer than just sitting here on the side of the road!" I protested.

He nodded and then pulled back out onto the road. I sat there, between them, for at least an hour before we found somewhere to turn in. Neither spoke to each other, or me for that matter. I had a feeling there was something going on between them that was a lot deeper than Joe's irresponsibility. Once we got to a hotel, Nick thought it would be best if we all stayed in the same room. I cursed him under my breath cause I wanted to be as far away from Joe as possible.

Me and Joe stood back a bit while Nick was getting the room, I looked over at him. "You and your brother, are you guys close?" I asked.

"Yeah, I suppose." Joe replied.

Same answer Nick gave me, which meant that they weren't as close as they once were. That is, if they ever were close.

"Why? Want to drill me about rather he likes you or not?" He asked with a smile.

I frowned at him. "Like I really need you to tell me that." I replied.

"Well then, miss know-it-all, what are you drilling for?"

"I just-" I sighed, shrugging a bit. "It was bugging me back in the car that you two didn't have one word to say to each other. At all. And I just thought that maybe you two had like some sort of past altercation of sorts that still bugging the shit out of you. Cause I mean, what kind of brothers, who work together, have nothing to say to each other? Especially in this line of work."

Joe looked at me, completely at aw and with nothing to say.

"Come on guys." Nick stated. I followed Nick as Joe trailed close behind. We got to our room and inside, there were two full beds, a tv, a desk and a bathroom.

I nodded. "Wow, this is the life." Sarcasm. I loved it.

"It was all they had left..." Nick replied.

"It'll do for the little while we're here." Joe stated as he set his stuff down on the floor. I sat down on one of the beds and grabbed the TV remote. Joe sat beside me on the bed and began looking through his bag. After a minute or two, he scuffed slightly and set it down.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"I'm out of razors..." He stated, looking over at Nick. "Nick, you got any?"

True, he was clean shaved the day I met him, and now, he was looking a little grungy. Borderline hobo-ish even. But in some weird way, even though I'm not all that in to scruff, he wore it well.

"No, dude, I'm out too!" Nick stated. I looked over at him and smiled slightly. Its hard for me to picture him shaving. His face was as smooth as can be and his fine baby faced features made him look a lot younger than I assumed he was.

"Are you even old enough to shave?" I asked with a smile.

Nick glared at me slightly.

I turned to Joe. "How old are you?"

"He's anywhere from 18-26, depending on the situation." Nick called out, answering for his brother.

"Yeah, so how old really?"

"26, next month..." Nick stated. "But sometimes I wonder that myself!"

"What about you?" I asked him with a smile. He looked at me with a slight shrug.

"Old enough..."

"Oh, come on Nick, you can't out your brother and not yourself!"

"He'll be 22 at about... 10:07 this evening!" Joe chimed.

"Today is your birthday!" I exclaimed, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Its not a big deal." He stated, then looked at me, "End of discussion!" He said sternly. I decided not to be my usually argumentative self and just left it alone.

Why didn't he like his birthday? I mean I know some people get touchy about it as they grow older, but it wasn't like he was turning 40. I decided at that moment I would corner Joe and get the details. That is if I could hold off a fight long enough to get it out of him.

About an hour or so later, Nick ran off to find a place to get some food. Joe was in the shower, and I figured right then was as good of a moment as any to question him.

I walked into the bathroom, and sat up on the sink. Joe was humming the tune of 'I'm too sexy' to himself. I rolled my eyes slightly.

"Joe!" I called. The curtain opened slightly.

"What?" He asked as he peeked his head out.

"A. Pretty lame song choice, dude. B. I need to talk to you about your brother." I stated.

He rolled his eyes at me. "What makes you think I should even go along with whatever it is you're planning?"

"Oh come on, you know all that crap I'm giving you is just for shits and giggles. I'm only doing it cause you let it get to you!" I laughed lightly.

"Fine! What do you want to know?"

"Why doesn't Nick like his birthday?"

"Honestly?"

"No fucking shit." I replied, sarcastically.

"Well, Nick was only six years old when it happened, but our mother and my father moved us upstate to Chicago in Illinois. Nick's father lived in southern Illinois, close around the area where you live actually." He paused, "Anyway, we all made a family trip down to his father's for Nick's 6th birthday. His father was throwing him a big party. A few hours after the party started, a fire started in the kitchen. I was so young and most of this has been told to me by my mother, but the flames. I remember the flames. They were so large, it was so hot. Nick was in the house, his father ran in to get him. They were still in the house when the firemen came. They got Nick out. But Nick's father, and two other firemen they didn't make it." Joe stated softly. "He blames himself, always has."

"That's horrible..." I paused for a moment. That wasn't the story Nick told me, I thought... Looking up at Joe, I cringed a bit. "Nick told me his father tried to kill himself but ended up dying from complcations of diabetes."

"Yes..." He nodded. "But that wasn't his biological father, it was his step father. I wasn't there for that though, I was still living with my dad and our mom and him hadn't been together at the time."

I nodded. "Well, I'll let you finish your shower now." I stated as I began into the bedroom. I fell out on one of the beds. The story of Nick's father's death got me thinking about my own father's death. I was only three when it happened. It took ages for my mother to have the heart strength to tell me what had really happened. I was my father passed away from terminal cancer. That's what my mother wanted me to believe but that wasn't the _real _story. She caved in and told me truth when I was about 18 or 19 years old.

My father was a firefigher on duty the night he died, when a house fire broke out. My mom told me, sometimes, in order to save a life sometimes, some people die. She said that's what happened to my father. He died trying to safe someone's life. The reason she lied to me was to keep me from being angry at the world, building up hatred for other people who were innocent. And I'll be the first to admit that I was angry but I eventually got over it. I always thought of my father as a hero after that. I used to look at pictures from the funeral all the time. In fact I still had carried some of them in my purse.

My purse.

I reached down to the floor and grabbed it. I opened it and pulled out the three pictures I always carried with me. One was of the grave marker, engraved with my fathers name. I would always look at this picture and smile. The second one was of the crowd of people at the funeral. Three of them were going on that day. All being held together. I didn't quite remember why, but I did now there was a reason. As I turned to the last picture. It was an article from a newspaper and as I looked the picture over, It was like I had never seen it before. I was blank on it. I noticed the little girl to be me. I was standing in my little black dress, my hair to my shoulders, confused tears running down my face. Next to me stood a boy. A few years older than me, his saddened face was less dramatic as mine and he stared down at the coffins in front of him. He held my hand tightly in his own. I hadn't the slightly idea who he was though. All that was left was the caption and as I brought it closer to read the names..

My heart stopped.

It couldn't be.

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><p><strong>If you're confused, keep reading so I can explain what's happening. If you're not confused, cool. Review, yeah? And tell me what you think the surprise is. c:<strong>

**For anyone who's confused:**

It's basically this: Miley and Nick both lied to eachother about what happened to their dad's. Miley didn't want to tell Nick that her dad died in a fire to save someone else, so she told him the fake story that her mother told her as a kid- that her dad had terminal cancer and passed away. Nick didn't want to talk about what happened to his real dad so he told Miley the story of his stepdad, not his real dad. So Joe tells Miley the story about Nick's real dad and Miley starts thinking about her dad and how he really died. As for the ending, that's a cliff hanger. I can't explain that.

If you're still confused, I don't know what to tell you. That's as simple as I can put it. Both of them have secrets and both of them lied to eachother. Miley explains the "terminal cancer" story to Nick in the beginning of Chapter 5, so you can reread it if you want. And Nick tells the story about his stepdad in Chapter 3.


	9. Chapter 9

'Miley Stewert, age 3, and Nicholas Jonas, age 6, stand together in mourning at the funeral of their fathers, Firefighter Billy Ray Stewart and Paul Kevin Jonas, Sr. who were victims of Tuesday's house fire in Maryville.'

There it was. In bold print. There it was. In black and white.

Here I held the proof in my hands. The undeniable truth of Nick and mine's connection to one another. Maybe this is why I never thought twice about leaving that park with him. The real reason Nick was protecting me.

I'll admit, this is the kind of thing that only happens on TV dramas or star crossed lover movies. This is an adventure every girl dreams of, a man that every woman desires. But now that its actually happening... I'm a little freaked out.

I didn't know where to go from here. I knew once he walked back through that door, I would become a complete and total mess. There would be no hiding this. He will ask the universal 'what's wrong with you?' and I'll break down. I'll cry a river of tears and then it will all be out in the open. If there was anything that could make or break us, this was it.

I looked up as Joe came out of the bathroom.

"Move over some!" He plopped down next to me on the bed, and grabbed the tv remote. I moved over slightly. Bad move. He looked up at me slightly.

"What? No smart ass remarks?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I guess I'm over it." I stated.

"What?" He asked with a sigh as he sat up. "Is this about Nick? You feel sorry for him. Cause I can tell you one thing about him, he doesn't tend to accept pity. He's too headstrong for that."

"No... its not Nick." I started. "Well it is him, its just... its complicated."

"Miley..." Joe grabbed my hand. I turned and looked at him. "I know you like Nick, a lot. Okay, you might even feel like you love him. But what he's doing right now, with you, it's his job. His home is his car, his life is full of no one but strangers and on occasion, me. Do you really want a life like that? Hoping week to week that he might be home tomorrow or the next day, and sitting and worrying that he may never come back? Our job is dangerous and you never know what's going to happen." Joe stated. I nodded in agreement. "Nick. Je cares about keeping you safe, for more reasons than he should, but he cares. But he also doesn't want you to live that kind of life. This job is about sacrifices. Love just happens to be one of them."

I guess Joe wasn't the big jerk I thought him to be. He could be really deep and caring. "Why couldn't Nick say it like that?"

"Cause with him, its easier to make you think he's a complete jerk than to admit to some real feelings." Joe stated again with a shrug. "Not like it worked anyway, you're still completely hopeless for him." I laughed lightly.

"It's that obvious?" I questioned.

He nodded. "But if it makes you feel any better, its not obvious to him."

"Yeah, well maybe that's for the best..."

"Giving up?" He asked, "That doesn't sound like your style!"

"I don't think I have a choice now!"

"Come on," He motioned for me to lay back against the headboard with him, "Let's watch some TV and pretend to get it off our minds..." He smiled gently. I sighed with a shrug. I've already seen him naked, cuddling couldn't hurt.

I made my way to him, and got as comfortable as possible next to him. As I leaned next to him, I felt completely drained. Of everything, emotion, desire, life... There was just nothing left to feel at that moment. I was numb. Within minutes of cuddling up next to Joe, I had fallen asleep.

I was awakened with a slight nudge. I looked up as Nick came into the room with a few bags. It couldn't have been more than an hour since I fell asleep cause I felt like I had only been asleep for a few seconds. "Cheeseburgers and fries was all I could find!" Nick announced.

"Works for me!" Joe blurted out as he hopped up off the bed.

"Mi?" Nick questioned when I still hadn't said anything. I looked up at him and I know there wasn't anyway possible I could continue on in this 'to save a life' road trip and not tell him what I found. Not question it.

I sighed. "Joe?"

He looked over at me, half a cheeseburger stuffed in his mouth.

I smiled lightly. He could be quite the idiot sometimes, couldn't he?. "Could you give us a minute or five? I need to talk to Nick." He looked to Nick then to me then back at Nick. Nick gave him a nod. He huffed a little and grabbed a bag of food and left the hotel room. Nick sat down across from me on another bed. "What's up?"

"I know that today is your birthday..." I began. He sighed slightly.

He shook his head. "Mi, we talked about this. I don't care much for my birthday, alright?"

"And I know why..." I told him quietly.

He looked up at me, slightly angry. "Yeah, what did Joe tell you?"

"About your 6th birthday... about your real father..." I said softly.

"Great, so what? Now, you know that I had a tragic birthday and now I don't care for them. No big deal." He spat off.

I grew angry. "You know what else I know? I know that this 'hard ass who gives no type of fuck' attitude of yours is phony. This isn't the real you and if you would just shut the hell up and listen for five minutes..."

"What? You'll tell me that you know how it feels? You'll have a heart to heart conversation with me about we all lose loved ones? Tell me life goes on? I don't need the sob story, Miley, I've had this conversation before!" He stood up and walked over to his bags.

Why was he being so cruel, why wouldn't he let me explain, what was his problem?

"You already know, don't you?" I asked. He stopped what he was doing a moment, then continued as if I never said anything. "You knew as soon as I told you about Cole... About how my father REALLY died. That's why you were so shocked! That's why you wouldn't talk to me!" I cried.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mi..." He said softly.

"This!" I shouted as I held up the article clipping. He looked away from it. "I'm talking about this, Nick! About our father's, about us!"

"What us?" He shouted back. "This... this doesn't mean anything!" He took the picture from me.

"That's a lie and you know it!" I cried.

"What? What do you want me to say, Miley? That its fate? Want me to just give into it?" He asked. "It's just coincidence!"

"Coincidence?" I asked. "My father died trying to save yours, and now you're here, almost a decade later, trying to save me, and this is all coincidence?"

Nick stood there in front of me, unable to say a word, unable to deny himself any further. But he still fought himself to hold it back.

"Nick..." I walked over to him, laid my hands on his waist, my forehead to his chest and breathed in his scent. I felt him wanting to hold me, touch me. It showed in his quickened heartbeat and his breathing. But he was still holding back.

"Mi..." He began.

"Please, Nick. Even if its just for one night. I don't care." I stated softly.

"I do..." He stated. "I've had all the 'just one night's before, and all it does is make you feel that much more lonelier. And if you were someone else, that wouldn't bother me." He paused as I looked up at him. "but you, I can't do that with you, I won't."

"So what? Drop me off, and leave, forget you ever met me?" I asked, the tears rolling down my cheeks. He reached his hand up to wipe them away.

"I doubt that I could ever forget you, but the plan is to try my hardest to do so."

Before I could say anything, or even begin to object to his claim, Joe stumbled back into the room.

"Dude, there's some weird old Latin lady staring me down in the hallway. I'm not going back out there!" He stated. Nick looked down at me as I pulled away from him.

"Its alright, we're done anyway." He walked back over to the bags of food on the bed, where Joe was, also, headed.

We all sat in silence as we ate. Well... they ate. I just sat and picked at my food mostly. I wasn't in the mood for food. The tension in the air was so thick, it almost choked the breath right out of you. I suppose Joe could sense it, cause he spat out the stupidest thing ever.

"Dude, you two... killing me. For my sanity will you two just fuck and get it over with?" He blurted out. Nick glared at him slightly. "And I know that sounds like I'm being a total jerk about it, but seriously. Never in my life have I ever seen two people so hard up on each other use the most pussying out excuses to avoid intimacy." He stood and looked over at me. "You! To afraid to fight for it. Always thinking your not worthy." He turned to Nick. "And you! You are the biggest pussy in the world! What are you so afraid of? That it won't last? That she'll grow over it while you're on the road? Well you know, you don't have to do this job forever! You can quit if you care about someone that much. And I'm your brother, Nick. I know you're capable of loving someone!"

"Are you done?" Nick asked. Joe looked down at him and shook his head in aggravation.

"And you're always telling me I need to grow up." Joe stood up. "I'm going for a walk, cause frankly, not only do you two kill me, but you make me sick. I need some air." He opened the door, "So hopefully when I get back, things will be different around here, cause if not, then I can't continue with this stupid assignment." Joe shut the door loudly behind him.

We sat a momment, again, in silence before I needed a break as well.

"I'm going to go find Joe." I stated softly.

"Joe can handle himself." Nick replied.

"I know, but I can't handle you..." I slipped my shoes on. "I'll come right back if I can't find him, I promise." With that, I left the room. I looked all over that hotel for Joe. Anywhere and everywhere that I could anyway. After about an hour, I assumed he hooked up with some girl and was back in her room. That's Joe for you. I laughed to myself after this realization and headed back to the room. As I rounded the corner, I could see that our door was ajar a bit. I slowed my pace as I got closer. Nick wouldn't have left it open like that, and giving Joe the benefit of doubt, I doubt he would do so either. I reached up to push the door open.

"Nick?" I called into the room. Stupid! Why would I do that? If it was one thing I learn from my obsession with horror movies, it was never call out into a dark, seemingly empty room. That's just like saying 'Hey you robber/murderer/rapist, I'm right here, come get me'... I took a leap of faith and stepped further into the room, I looked around slightly, but no one appeared to be there. Okay, I'm a little worried.

"Joe? Nick? This isn't funny!" I whined. Wasn't too soon after that statement that I came to realize that I wasn't alone and it wasn't Nick or Joe. Suddenly, I was knocked over with great force, I barely hit the ground before everything started to get black...

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><p><strong>I'm gonna be honest here, I hated writing this chapter. I hate fluffy stuff. But anyways. Review? Tell me what you think is going to happen. :o Also, if any of you lovely people have pottermore- add me? My username is GlowSky86.<strong>

**PS. I wrote a oneshot called Love Language and it's about Niley, as usual. Read it, yes?**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm gonna try to update every single day on the weekend.**

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><p>Oh for the love of all things medical.<p>

My head was pounding harder than my heart ever had, and it felt like it could pop at any given moment. If that wasn't the worst part of it all, I couldn't tell if I was blind, or if the room I was in was just pitch black. I tried to move a little just to see if I was in any way confined. Thankfully I wasn't. I stood up slightly, and realized that I was neither, blind, nor unable to open my eyes. I reached up slowly and painfully to removed the blind fold from my eyes.

Great a pitch black room.

I slowly made my way about the room, my hands in front of me. For almost a minute of roaming and turning about my hands felt nothing in the air, nor did there seem to be anything in the room. But then I touched something.

Someone.

They appeared to be conscienceless as I felt my way around them, his arms weren't at his sides, but strung up above him, when I reached his face and hair, the shagginess of it entwining with my fingers, I knew it was Joe.

"Joe?" I called softly, I heard a soft groan come from within his chest, "Joe!"

"Where is he?" he mumbled softly.

"Who?" I asked. There was a moment of silence between us, due to his lack of conscience of the situation I'm sure.

"Nick!" Joe called out. There was another moment of silence, "Nick!" he shouted again.

"I'm alright!" Nick finally stated. "Mi?"

"I'm here." I stated as I made my way to his voice. When I reached him, I began pressing my hand on his torso, he cried out in slight pain. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked.

"The son of a bitch kicked me in the ribs." he replied breathlessly. "Listen, Mi, you have to promise me..." He groaned slightly from the pain, "that any chance you get to run, you run!"

"And leave you and Joe here?" I snapped, shaking my head even though I knew he couldn't see me. "No. I'm not doing it."

"Oh, how quaint!" A voice shouted out.

That voice. The voice that haunted my dreams for so many years. The one that used to whisper his desires in my ears, the one that moaned and grunted his way into my soul. The voice that toyed with my mind until there was nothing left to toy with. That horrid voice.

The light in room came on, and for a moment, I was still lost of all vision. When my eyes finally adjusted to the sudden brightness, I was standing behind Nick.

"Boys! Enjoying your visit?" Cole spoke with a somewhat amused voice.

"You son of a bitch!" Nick growled.

"Now, now, Nicholas. There's no reason to be rude, if you continue such behavior I might have to get a little forceful. And just let little Miley there tell you how dangerous my forcefulness can get!" He laughed that evil little laugh. A laugh that I remember all too well. I peeked over Nick's shoulder to see him. Prison was obviously rough on him these last few years. He was raggedy and worn looking. Not the least bit as attractive as I once remembered him. Lost and confused. The revenge he held in his mind ate away at him both physically and mentally. I could tell by the jittering in the way he held his cigarette, and the blank stare in his eyes. I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

"There's my pretty little girl!" He spat as he saw me peeking over Nick. He took some steps forward.

"Don't you even try it!" Nick spat.

"Or what, Nicholas? You and little Joey here are going to do something about it?" He laughed. "I'd like to see you try."

"Oh you better pray that Joe gets to you first!"

"Nick, I don't believe that neither you or Joe are in the position to make threats!" Cole stated. "Miley, dear. Don't be so rude, come, let us have a look at you."

I didn't know what to do. I knew if I refused, he would only come after me, Nick would try to stop him but with his confinement, he would only get hurt worse than he might already be. But if I do as he ask, I might lose it completely. I was still petrified of him. After spending all this time in prison, God knows what he could do to me now.

"Don't keep me waiting too long, love, or something might accidentally happen to your little friends here." He called. I took a deep breath and stepped out from behind Nick. "Oh yes, there's my little girl."

Putting my hair up into a ponytail, I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm not your little girl, Cole. I never was." I corrected him.

He chuckled under his breath. "Come on now! Was I so harsh on you? Did I really deserve all that time in prison?" He asked as he stood.

"Did I deserve the torture? The pain? The depression? Did my mom deserve a scum bag like you? Did she, Cole? Did she?" I paused, staring him in the eye. "Did I deserve what you did to me? No, no I didn't."

"Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it! The cries, the noises, the moans... mmm... I still hear them in my sleep." He laughed lightly at his own memories.

"Dude, you need, like... therapy for that or something 'cause that's fucking sick." Joe muttered.

"You won't be feeling so comical in a few, funny boy." Cole stated as he pulled the covers back off the bed. "Get on this bed." He announced, looking at me.

My heart stopped. "No..."

"Listen, I could do this all day. Really, I could, but I don't want to play around. Get on this bed!" He shouted.

I jumped slightly at his tone, and began toward the bed.

"Mi..." Nick's voice protested my actions and I turned and looked at him.

"Oh don't worry, Nick. You'll be a part of this too!" Cole spoke. He pushed me down on the bed and leaned in close. I cowarded away as much as I could before he grabbed me and pulled me closer. "Imagine this..." He began, "Miley Stewart runs away with Joe Jonas, the brother of her very jealous and very abusive lover, Nick. Joe and Miley have been planning this for months, he was going to take her away, save her from her brothers abusive ways. But Nick, being in the profession he is in, hunts them down, finds them shacked up in a hotel room..." He took out a knife from his pocket. "Dear old Nick here, well he just snaps. Goes crazy, stabs his only brother to death in a jealous rage, naturally, Miley will try to be a hero, tries to stop him. But Nick is so crazed he doesn't realize what he did next. Stabbed..." He ran the knife tip down my chest. "Right in the heart." He smirked.

"You are one sick son of a bitch!" Nick growled, struggling to get free. "Get away from her!" He shouted as Cole looked over at him and smiled evily.

"Of course..." He continued on with his fable as he made his way around the bed. "After realizing you killed the only two people in your life you've ever loved, you couldn't possibly live without them, and you, offed yourself as well..." He walked up to Nick, pressing the knife to his cheeks. Letting his arm drop, he left a shallow cut on Nick's cheek.

"Stop!" I cried out as I saw the blood run down Nick's face. "They don't have anything to do with this."

"Why should I do you any favors after you sent me to prison for seven years?" He asked.

"Please, Cole, let them go..." I begged. He looked at me a moment, and then from Nick to a now unconscious Joe. He smiled.

"So tell me..." He began, "Which one is it? Nick? Or is it little Joey here?" He lifted Joe's head, I noticed the blood running down his neck into his shirt. It appeared he had been bleeding for quite some time.

"What did you do?" I cried out. He laughed and let go of Joe. I watched as his head dropped back down heavily. "Joe!" I called out to him as I got up off the bed. I grabbed his head, lifting it gently. He felt cold.

"You better pray he lives, cause if he doesn't you better kill me, cause I'm going to hunt you down and skin you alive!" Nick exclaimed. Cole laughed as he walked away toward the bed.

"Under the bed..." I heard a whisper. I looked up at Joe, he looked at me and lowered his eyes, "He hid a bat, under the bed. That's what he hit me with." I nodded. I looked over at Cole, he was digging through his bag, pulling out weapon after weapon. I knelt down quietly and grabbed the bat from under the bed.

"So, my little lover, you ready to get this thing started?" He asked with a laugh, "I'll even let you pick who's the first to die, that is, if little Joey there isn't already dead."

"How about you?" I questioned. He turned to me and I swung the bat as hard as I could. I heard him scream out in pain as he dropped to the floor on his hands and knees. I grabbed one of his knives and rushed over to Nick, cutting away to the ropes around his hands.

"Hurry..." He stated, as Cole tried his best to get up off the floor.

"I'm trying!" I panicked, realizing how thick the ropes were. Behind me, Cole was somewhat standing, trying to regain his balance.

Nick struggled to pull his hand from the rope. "Miley, hurry!"

With a few more forceful slices, his hands were free. Nick dropped to the floor with a thud. The strength in his legs were gone from being hung up for so long. As he tried his best to maintain some standing, I rushed over to Joe.

"Joe!" I called to him slightly, but within seconds, it seemed, I was somehow wrapped in Cole's arms, a knife pressed to my throat. "Nick!" I called out.

"That wasn't a very nice thing to do, love." Cole whispered.

Nick lifted his head, watching Cole and I in terror. He took a step forward. "You hurt her..." He muttered. "And I kill you."

"Nicholas, forget your honor, your duty to your job. You can turn the other cheek. Take your brother while he's still breathing and leave. There's nothing wrong with sacrificing a life to save another." He admitted. "Besides, I have every intention on bringing her back home. I just want to play with her for a while.." He slid the knife gently across my throat, but even in its gentle glide, a felt a stinging pain and a drip down my neck. "Oooh.. Look how red that blood runs..." He laughed lightly as I gasped in pain.

Within seconds, Cole and I were thrown to the bed and I was no longer in his grasp. I rolled from the bed and hit the ground. When I looked up, I noticed that Nick had somehow disarmed Cole of his knife, and before I could stand to comprehend the situation, Cole received a very painful knee-blow to the face. Nick rushed over to help me up before Cole had even finished falling to the ground.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he held my head in his hands, his eyes looking straight into mine for a moment before looking at my neck.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Help your brother." I breathed out. Nick cut Joe down from the ropes and helped him to the bed as I made my way over to them. "Are you okay?" I asked Joe.

"Totally, I'm perfect..." He mumbled.

Smiling at his sarcasm, I nodded. Looking over at Cole, he was unconcious on the floor. I had to admit- I was happy to see him in such a condition. As I tended to Joe's head wound, Nick called the cops. They had arrived no more than ten minutes later. They carried Joe off on a stretcher, they wouldn't tell us exactly how serious it was. In fact, they wouldn't tell us anything. He had fainted in and out a few times before they got there, and he had lost a lot of blood. I'll admit... It didn't look good for Joe.

**A few hours later.**

Hospitals make me nervous. The coldness. The sickness... the insanely white paint on the walls. How could it not? I sat impatiently and quite jittery in the small waiting room on the third floor of a very large hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. As I looked around the now quiet room, all I could see was the scene an hour ago, when they brought Joe in. The numbness from his head wound had worn off. The shock of the pain running through him, the screaming escaping his lips. The rush of doctors and nurses trying to calm him, their screams trying to out do his own. It was all too much for me to handle. Joe didn't deserve this kind of pain. I sat, my head in my hands, too worried to think of anything else. I then looked up and saw Nick standing down the hallway talking to the doctor. I saw him nod a few times, and then Nick signed something. I stood up and started toward him. He looked up, seeing me, and began toward me.

"Mi..."

"Nick, is he okay?" I asked, worried. The worst possible scenario running through me.

Nick nodded gently. "Yeah, yeah he'll be okay. He's going to have to be here a few days to build himself back up. But they're taking good care of him." He replied.

"Miley!" I heard a shout from a familiar voice.

"Mom?" I looked over. She rushed over to me. "Mom... wh-what are you doing here?" I asked.

"They, the uh- cops, they called and told me they found you and that you were here." She started, "I got here as fast as I could. Ashley is with me. She's parking the car..." She paused a moment, tears in her eyes, "Miley, I'm so glad you're alright." She threw her arms around me and hugged me close.

"Me too, mom." I said softly.

"The cops told me that you've already given a statement and that you can come home." She said with a smile.

"Home? Oh, ho-home, right, yes of course." I said with a smile.

Home. I haven't thought about home since the first night I left with Nick. Not even when we were picked up by the cops did I think about going home. The odd thing about it is, now that I have that option of going back home, I don't want it.

"Miley!" I heard Ashley yell as she came rushing over from the door.

"Ash!" I said with a smile and embraced her. Ashley was my best friend. She was a sweet/sour girl. A pretty, sweet, soft spoken girl when it was needed, and a sassy, vixen any other time. Mostly with men though. I wouldn't call her a slut. She was more of an artist. I could almost go as far as calling her a female replica of Joe.

Joe...

...Nick.

I turned to Nick and he was still standing there. "Um... Mom, could you give me a minute, or two?" I asked. She looked from me, to Nick, then back at me with a nod.

"Of, course, we'll be right over here." She smiled as her and Ashley walked off.

"So..." I started.

"Going home?" he asked. I nodded, he nodded as well. This was the first completely awkward moment between us, and I hated it. "Bet you can't wait to get back to the normal life." He laughed lightly. I looked up at him, I knew he could see the pain in my eyes, the hurt. I didn't want to leave him, and I didn't try to hide it. I was tired of hiding it, but Nick, he was still holding strong. How I hated that as well. "Miley... It's easier if you just go..." He whispered.

"I can't..." Tears began to fall from my eyes.

"I don't want to make this any harder than it already is for you!" He replied.

"For me? Harder for me?" I raised my voice, he looked around slightly. "Do you have no feelings? What so ever? For anything?"

"Miley, please!"

"What? Don't make a scene? Cause, I'm this close Nick, and don't think I won't!" I declared.

Nick grabbed me by the arm and dragged me off into an empty hospital room. "You're impossible, you know that!" He shouted.

"Oh, don't even claim that I'm the impossible one!" I pointed a finger at him.

"I'm just doing my job!"

"Oh come off it, Nick!" I threw my hands in the air dramatically. What can I say, the art of dramatics was my thing, "Your job is over. I'm safe, Cole is back in jail and I'm ten minutes away from being safely across the river and safely in my home."

"Then walk away..." He begged slightly.

"Not until you start being honest with me." I demanded. He sighed slightly, "Tell me I mean nothing to you, that you don't care the slightest bit about me and I will walk out of this room and pretend you never existed. As long as its the honest truth."

"Miley..." He started to protest, but this time there was nothing more he could say to me that I'd believe. "Why couldn't you have just walked away?" He reached out, grabbing me by the back of the neck and pulled me into him. He pressed his lips against mine and for a moment, my heart stopped. After the initial shock of his action wore off, I gave into him completely.

I wish I could be utterly cliche, and say that he swept me off my feet, and we 'made love' and it was romantic, and passionate on a bed a satin sheets and in a candle lit room... but, I can't. It was a raunchy, lip bruising, nail scratching, up against a wall, still half dressed, crying out to 20 different gods kind of sex. The kind of sex women in their fifty's pray for and married thirty something's have on the side, while their husbands are at work.

And I wouldn't have had him any other way.

I also wish I could say that from that moment on, we lived happily-ever-after, got married and I popped out a few mini-Nick's, But again, I can't, because after our romp in the vacant room, we had to go our separate ways. Nick had to go back to Joe, and his 'job' and I had to go back to reality.

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><p><strong>And this, my friends, is the ending of part one. Not the end of the story though. This would have made a cute ending. :3 Part two begins in chapter 11.<strong>

**Also, I have a new story idea, completely different from this. Should I make it about Niley, Jemi or another couple? I need suggestions. Either answer in a review or tweet me! I am xjustbreathe on Twitter. XO**

**Oh and I wanted to thank all of you for the reviews, they always make me smile. I love you guys. : ) XO.**


	11. Chapter 11, Part 2

**Here it is; the moment you've all been waiting for. The beginning of part two. And this is like- the third or fourth update this week. Can you believe this? HA.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Present day.<strong>

Here I am again... Sitting here, all alone and unsure of what my future holds. Unsure of what the next few days will bring. My heart is broken and I have so many questions that have no real answers. Most of them I can wait to figure out, but one I just need to know now.

Why?

Why did Nick leave me without saying anything? Why was there no note? Was it just too much for him? Did he just want to forget, to leave and pretend I never existed?

I can honestly say that I've never been this 'hung up' on a boyfriend before. This is the first relationship where I wasn't the first to grow bored. I was honestly in love with this man. And now, shattered into a thousand pieces, my heart doesn't beat the same and I feel completely numb. Not a day, or hour, or minute goes by that I don't think about him. How could he have left me like this? I just wanted him to come home.

As the months passed, I thought of Nick less and less, but my heart still hurt all the same. I had almost gave up on the idea of him coming back until Joe returned home from staying a few months in Cancun with Ashley.

"Stewart!" Joe called into my apartment as him and Ash barged in. They always just barged into my apartment. That was my downfall to being too comfortable with Joe.

I came into the room to greet him with a bittersweet smile on my face. I was so glad to have my Joey back home, but the mere site of him made me think of Nick. "Hi, Joe!" I smiled gently at him, he wrapped his arm around me tightly and kissed me softly on the forehead.

"So... where's my asshole brother?" He pulled back slightly, "He isn't answering his phone today."

I looked up at him slightly. If this was a joke, it wasn't a good one. "He isn't here."

"Well, where is he then?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes, tears welling up in my eyes. "Joe, this isn't funny..." I stated softly.

"What? Are you guys fighting or something?" He eyed me slightly, "Do I need to punch him in the face?"

"Just stop it alright, Nick isn't here, he hasn't been for months now. Thanks for putting salt in the wound." I headed toward the kitchen for something to drink out of the icebox.

Joe followed me. "Wait," He grabbed my hand and shut the door to the refrigerator, "What do you mean he's been gone for months? I just talked to him yesterday to tell him we were coming in early and he told me you were in the shower."

"Well he lied to you, Joe." I stated, soft tears rolled down my cheek, "Cause he left, three months ago, in the middle of the night, while I was asleep. He didn't leave a note. He just... left."

"That doesn't sound like him at all." I heard Ashley say from the living room.

"No... it doesn't." Joe looked down at me, slightly dumbfounded by it all. "I'm going to go talk to a few people, see if I can get whats going on straight. Alright?"

I shook my head. "Joe, he just didn't want to be here anymore, I knew it would happen, I just hoped it wouldn't."

"Hey!" He grabbed my face slightly, "I don't care what you think, Nick would have never left you like that unless it was something serious... something he didn't want you to be involved in. He loves you." I nodded slightly, and he kissed my forehead. "I'll be back in a few hours..." With that, Joe exited my apartment quickly.

"How are you feeling?" Ashley chimed in. I looked over at her and gave her a weak smile.

Ashley and I... Well, lets just say we're no longer the best of friends. Don't get me wrong, we're still friends, but things have changed between us. Her relationship with Joe had finally reached a level of bona-fide couple and now she can't stand the sight of me with Joe. I didn't understand it much. I mean I knew most girls were like that, but me and Ashley were best friends. And she knew the type of relationship Joe and I had, why would it be so much of a bother now?

Women.

"I'm fine."

"Don't worry, I'm sure Joe will get it all figured out again." I glanced her way and there it was. That look. The look of pity that always comes from the people who believe they're better off than you. Who think somehow they're happy fantasy world will make you feel better with a look of 'oh poor you'. I hate those looks.

"It doesn't matter, 'cause even if he does show his face around here again, he won't look the same when he leaves..." I huffed. She gave me that look again.

Stupid fucking look!

"Its good to see you again and all, Ash, but I just want to be alone." I told her. She looked at me and without a seconds thought... she left.

Later that evening, as I laid helplessly wide awake in bed, I heard the door to my apartment open and some keys drop to a table. I sighed slightly hoping it was Joe and not Ashley. I wasn't in the mood for her. I crawled out of bed and headed toward the living room.

"Joe?" I called out, but no answer came. Ashley?" I offered, but again no answer.

Great... Again, here I am, standing in a dark room, calling out to someone I'm not sure is even there. Do we not remember how this scenario played out last time?

"You're going crazy, Miley." I said to myself as I turned back toward my bedroom. I stopped when something caught my eyes. A little red light, beaming in from the window onto a table across the room. My heart began to race with so much emotion and anger fumed from within because I knew what that light was.

Nick.

I looked around through the room for any sign of him. His jacket was laid over the chair. His keys laid in a familiar place on the coffee table.

Could it be real? Am I dreaming? Did he really come back?

I pray for the sake of his beautiful eyes and cute nose that he wasn't, 'cause once I was done with him, you won't be able to describe them that way.

"Mi..." The soft whisper flooded the open space of my apartment.

That voice... God, how I've missed that voice.

I turned abruptly and took a step forward and clashed heads with a body of mass in front of me. I fell back against a wall, and for a moment I could see him moving.

"Fuck, Miley." He spat. He was obviously in pain, I could tell by the sound of his voice. But at the moment, there in the dark, it didn't matter.

"Where the hell have you been?" I spat back as I pushed him hard. He stumbled backwards as I advanced towards him.

"Mi, please..." His words were softer now, but I didn't seem to notice the true agonizing pain that accompanied them at the time.

"Three fucking months, Nick. No call, no explanation, no NOTHING!" I reached over for the light switch and flipped it on, I glanced over at him and was slightly horrified at what I saw. His face was bloody and he was filthy from head to toe. He held his arm tightly against his side and his shirt was torn over his abdomen. "Holy fuck, Nick."

"Just turn off the lights..." He stated as he rested up against the wall next to my bedroom door. I flipped them off quickly and rushed over to him.

"Are you okay? Is this your blood?" I asked.

"Most of it." He groaned slightly as he slid down to the floor.

I knelt down beside him. "Nick, what happened to you? Explain to me what's going on!" I cried.

"I'll explain later, I promise..." He paused, "Could you just... my arm..." He stated.

I moved over and grasped his arm firmly and pushed down on his shoulder. With a hard push and a moan of pain, his arm popped with enthusiasm. Nick had showed me numerous times how to do this and I would always tell him not to bother I wouldn't have much use for it. Guess I was wrong.

"Could you help me to the bathroom?" He asked. I stood and helped him up and provided bracing as he hobbled his way down the hall to the bathroom, it was obvious his leg was in bad shape too. I went back to my room as Nick showered and got cleaned up. So many things were now racing through my mind, but most of all... 'What the hell happened to Nick? Just as I began to wrap my head around the scenarios that could have taken place, I remember some vital information.

I was extremely pissed off at him.

I looked up towards the door as Nick made his way into the bedroom. "How are you feeling?" I asked as he sat down on the bed next to me.

"Achy..." He replied. I nodded, then hauled off and punched him... clear in the jaw. I know I shouldn't have done it. He was already in a lot of pain, but damn it. He deserved it and it made me feel so much better... at the time.

"For the love of all things medical..." He stated as he grabbed his jaw. "Miley, what the hell was that for?"

"What the hell do you think it was for Nick?" I muttered.

"I know you're upset, but can we refrain from the hitting, please?" He whined.

"Upset?" I laughed. "No, upset doesn't even begin to explain it."

"I knew I should have just gone straight to Joe's." He groaned slightly. "I shouldn't even be here."

"Then why are you here?" I asked, tears in my eyes... again. "Go ahead and leave. I have nothing to lose."

"I'm here because I want to be. I mean, I knew you'd be angry with me, but I just had to see you." His voice was soft and for a moment I felt bad for hitting him. Here I was being my usual over-dramatic-self and I haven't even given him the chance to explain. But I knew if I let him explain, I'd forgive him, and I just want to be mad at him. I don't want it to be that easy for him, I don't want him to know how much I truely depend on him.

"You can't do that, Nick. You can't just show up and be sweet and expect everything to be okay." I told him, rubbing his jaw gently.

"I'm not expecting us to be okay 'cause I know we're not." He paused his words and I just knew he was fixing to get vulnerable. To be that Nick, that I just can't help myself with. "I just need to know you still love me."

There it was... the deal breaker to my anger. His request had a simple answer, but in the end it would have a harder consequence. It could only mean one thing, he wasn't staying.

Letting out a loud sob, I looked away from him and fixed my eyes on the ground. I began to fiddle with my fingers. "Please, tell me what's going on."

He shook his head, looking away from me as well. "I wish I could tell you, baby, but I can't."

"But you always tell me everything, what makes this so different?" I asked, "I mean, you come back into my life after leaving me so abruptly and then you can't tell me why?"

He sighed. "Just believe me, baby, you don't want to know anything about this..." He replied. "Just tell me you love me." He mumbled, leaning back on the bed.

Leaning back as well, I cuddled up next him. "Come on, Nick. You know I do."

"I need to hear it. I need to hear you say it." He placed his hands on either side of my face. His touch... How I missed his touch. I looked up at him, trying to hide the pain in my eyes, even though the tears freely slithered down my cheeks.

"I love you." My words were soft. And as he leaned his forehead against mine, and let out that mournful sigh, I knew this was it. That this is what he came back for. That for whatever reason, he had to do this, he had to break my heart. He had to leave and never come back.

"I love you too." He whispered softly, and I couldn't help the sobbing that came next. I didn't want to make it harder for him, but who was going to make it easy for me?

"Then don't go..." I wrapped my arms around his chest. How wonderful it felt to touch him again. To feel his skin against mine. I could hear his heart beating in his chest and I laid my hand over it gently.

"The longest I can stay is til morning..." He whispered dreadingly.

I knew that morning would be a stretch for him. I knew the second I fell asleep he would be gone, straight out the door again, with no note, no answers. Nothing. I also knew it would have been for the best that I just let him leave right then and there... but I couldn't. After months of not seeing his face, or touching his skin, or kissing his lips. How could I?

I reached up and touched his cheek. He looked at me with gentle, almost child like eyes and it was at that moment that I realized he was just as lost as I was. I leaned into him, at first just grazing my lips against his, unsure if I really wanted it to go in that direction, before I fully just let myself go.

I pressed my lips against his, and I could sense his weariness at first, before he fully let go to. His arms wrapped around me tightly, and his kiss against my lips deepened. How wonderful it was to feel his lips against mine again. How I've missed them. Through all the hardness of his body and his personality, with the exception of his heart, his lips were the only soft thing about him. And I loved the feel of them against my body.

What a bittersweet night this had turned out to be...

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><p><strong>:) All of your reviews make me smile so much, I'm not even kidding. So thank you for taking your time to write them. Hehe, I guess it's just a writers thing but when someone tells me they love my story and they want the next chapter, I feel great.<strong>

**Oh, and does anyone have any ideas as to WHY Nick might have left Miley? Tell me! I wanna know what you guys are thinking, please. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

I woke up that next morning, naked and alone. I knew it was going to end up like this. But apart of me, most of me, prayed that he would still be here, right beside me. But he wasn't and there was nothing I could have done to change that.

As I rolled over to my back, I stared up at the ceiling. Unsure about what to do. I had so many errands planned for the day, but how could I do any of them feeling like this? Like a Mack truck smashed into me at a 100 miles and hour, blowing pieces of my body threw the sky for miles. Like someone ripped out my heart and ran it through a meat grinder.

All I wanted to do was lay in this bed and waste away to nothing but I had no such luck.

"Miley!" I heard the very loud voice of Joe pierce through the silence of my apartment, along with it came Ashley's voice.

"Joe, please, this is stupid!" She whined.

The door to my bedroom opened and Joe looked down at me. He stared at me for a moment and then looked around. "He was here wasn't he?" He asked. I nodded slightly as I sat up, holding the cover against me. He sighed and sat down. "Did he say anything?"

"Just that he was sorry, and that he loved me." I stated softly. "He wouldn't tell me anything else."

"How long ago did he leave?" Joe asked. I gave him shrug.

"He left when I was asleep." I admitted, "Its becoming quite the habit with him."

"I take it he didn't say where, huh?"

"No, of course not. Why would he? The only thing I've learned since yesterday is that a broken rib and a sore shoulder won't stop you from having sex." I told him in a harsher tone than I actually meant.

What can I say? I was rightfully upset.

"What do you mean?" Joe looked over at me.

"We had break-up sex, moron!" I rolled my eyes.

"No, not that." He began, "Nick."

"Well, when I saw him last night, he was covered in blood, his arm was out of socket and then later on, I found the broken rib." I paused. "I've never seen him like that before, Joe. He was pretty beat up."

"Why don't you put some clothes on and come out to the living room? We need to talk." He stood and headed for the door. "As much as seeing you naked thrills me, this is a little awkward." He stated.

I laughed lightly. Leave it to my Joey to use his pervertedness to cheer me up. It's too bad that feeling won't last long enough. I dressed quickly and joined Joe and Ashley in the living room. They were sitting on the couch, so I sat in the chair.

"I talked to some of my people from my job and they said there's nothing going on that they know of. Then I got a hold of Joshua, who knows pretty much everything about anything. He said there's a rumor on the down low that a former colleague is gunning for Nick."

"Did they tell you who it was?" I asked. He nodded.

"Lauren Smith." Joe stated.

I looked at him slightly confused, raising an eyebrow. "Why is there some random chick going after my boyfriend?"

Joe laughed. "Lauren is a guy, not a girl."

Ashley snickered, along with me.

"They said, Nick and Lauren used to do jobs together all the time." Joe began, "However, the last job they were on together, something bad had happened. A bomb blew up on Lauren. It put him in the hospital. He had fallen into a comma. Apparently, while Lauren was in this comma, Nick had an affair with his fiancé. When he had woke a few weeks later, Nick told him what had happened. They say after that, Lauren went crazy, was blaming everything that went wrong on Nick. Started spouting off threats. The doctors assumed it was all due to post traumatic stress from the explosion. They set him up with some therapy. Turns out that Lauren was really fucked up in the head. They say it happens a lot in our line of work." Joe paused and looked up at me slightly. "He, uh... broke out of the hospital 3 months ago."

"So he's after Nick.." I stated. It was more of a clarification for me. An excuse to make his actions okay. I doubt it will ever be okay though.

"And he has major connections everywhere. He could know where Nick is at any second of the day and be there just as quick." Joe stated. "He could also have goons after him as well. Probably why Nick was so beat up when you saw him."

"How do you know it wasn't Lauren who got a hold of him?" Ashley asked, chiming into the conversation thought she had nothing to do with it.

"Because he's not dead." Joe said, looking me in the eye.

"What are you going to do?" Ashley questioned, growing annoyed with the fact that Joe was looking at me as he spoke, instead of her.

"The only thing I can do." He began. "Find him before they do."

She stood up. "No, that's too dangerous."

"How will you know how to find him?" I asked, "Knowing Nick, he is completely off the radar. No cell phones, no credit cards, not even a paper trail. You'll never find him in time."

He smirked. "Miley, you forget that I've known Nick my whole life. I'll find him."

I blocked out the argument that soon followed said statement. You know, the usual 'Its too dangerous' - 'He's my brother!' argument. Ashley didn't want him to risk his life and Joe didn't think his was anymore valuable than Nick's. But if you want my opinion... Ashley is just a selfish bitch. But then again, so am I. All I want is to have Nick back.

"I'm going with you..." I stated softly.

They both stopped their argument long enough to stare at me. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. He'd have enough to worry about without you tagging behind." Ashley fumed.

I rolled my eyes at her. "No one fucking asked you!" I snapped. I knew why she didn't want me to go. It had nothing to do with Joe's stress, it was solely based on the fact that she wanted me as far away from Joe as possible.

Joe felt the tension in the room. Instantly, he stood up. "She's right though... It'd be too risky."

"I've been dating a bona-fide superman for over a year. I can handle myself just fine. Now we can do this together or not, but either way I'm going to find him." I snapped at him.

Joe stared at me a moment, before nodding. "Fine..."

"Joseph!" Ashley's face grew red as she stomped her feet on the ground. "What are you doing? You can't let her go!" She frowned.

"She's going to go regardless. It might as well be where I know she's safe."

"This is insane!" She protested.

"Baby, don't worry, alright?" He began, "I'm going to be fine. Did you forget that I was once one of them?"

She shook her head at him. "No, and as I recall, your last job almost got you killed." She replied as she shot a glare at me. Ashley had always been concerned about Joe and I's relationship. She was uncomfortable with how close we were. I don't blame her really. I mean, unless you were there, you wouldn't understand why we were so close either. I always tell her that me and Joe are nothing more than friends, that I cared too much for Nick to do something like that. But she never believed me. She was an old fashion thinker. One of those closed minded individuals who think a man and woman can't be just friends. I guess I understand her weariness. After all, we did almost have sex once. I suppose some people can't get over the past.

"When do we leave?" I asked.

"I still have a few things to work out, I should have it all settle by tomorrow morning." He replied. I nodded hesitantly. I didn't want to wait that long. I wanted to leave at that moment, I needed to find him now. "I'll call you, when I'm ready, you just get ready and take care of whatever you need too. I'm not sure how long we'll be gone." He said to me, as I gave a small nod.

With that, Ashley and Joe headed out of my apartment, and as the door shut, another argument ensued. I could hear them till they reached the end of the hall. That relationship won't last much longer. I could tell by the look in Joe's eyes when they argued. She was too demanding, too controlling. Their relationship was a one sided conversation and if Joe at the least bit, objected to anything she had to say, she treated him like he was the worst boyfriend in the world for not agreeing with her. He put up with it until now because he cared about her too much. He wanted to try and make it work. The looks on his face, however, tell me that he can't do it anymore. I have a feeling this ones going to be blamed on me.

Oh well, nothing to worry about now. Now all I had to worry about was figuring out a way to find Nick.

I went about the rest of my day like Joe had asked me too, I called my work and told them I was taking some time off and I wasn't sure when I was going to be back. Needless to say, I probably won't be working there anymore once I get back. I called my mother and told her that Nick, Joe and I were talking a road trip. A lie, But I couldn't exactly tell her someone was trying to kill Nick and I was going to help find him. She'd blow her top.

I packed a bag of everything I absolutely need and set it over by the door. As I started to walk away, something caught my eye. A piece of paper on the table next to the door where I usually set my keys and purse. It was folded in half and it had Joe's name on it. It was written in Nick's handwriting.

I looked at it curiously a moment before opening the paper. It was obviously written rather quickly, for it was scribbled down badly. Nick's hand writing was hard enough to read calmly let alone when he was in a hurry. However, through my year and half with him, I've learned to decipher his writing.

_I couldn't stay, they were close._

I looked at it strangely as I read it over and over a few times. Why would he leave such a weird note for Joe? I looked at the paper again and saw some witing in the bottom corner of the page. It was rather small and kind of hard to read. I hurried over to my desk at the other end of the room and looked in the drawer for that 'as seen on TV' magnifying reading light my mother thought I just need to have. It's been in there since she gave it to me, cause I mean, what the hell did I need it for?

However, now I think I might have to thank her for it.

I sat on the couch under the light on the end table and brought the magnifying glass to the paper.

_41, 89 _

What the hell was this? I looked up as Joe came through the door. An aggravated look on his face. "You got everything settled?" He asked with a sigh.

"Come look at this!" I stated as I reached it out for him. He took it out of my hand, read it quickly and then looked at me.

"Where'd you find this?" He asked.

"Over on the table by the door." I started, "There's some weird listing of numbers really small in the corner there." I handed him the magnifying glass and he seemed to do the same thing I did. Read it over and over. But his look was different. He knew these numbers. He thought for a long moment.

"Joe...?" I asked loudly, my impatient nature growing the best of me.

"Buda..." He mumbled.

"What?"

"I know where he went." He whispered gently. "Grab your things, we need to go now."

I grabbed my things and locked up my apartment. I followed Joe down to the car. "Joe..." I began as I got in the car, "What are those numbers? How do you know where he is?" I questioned, curiously.

"I need you to trust me, alright?" He looked over at me. "We need to hurry and catch him before he leaves." Joe pulled out of my apartment complex' parking garage in a hurry. I wasn't sure where we were going, I was even more unsure of how Joe even knew where to go. But at that moment, I didn't have how or where, as long as we found him.

To think, almost 2 years ago, Nick was toting around town to town trying to save me, and here I am, doing the same for him. He has always been there to protect me from anything and everything. I never thought for a moment, that I would have to ever have to save a life, especially his.

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><p><strong>Not one of the most interesting chapters, sorry. Nick returns in the next chapter. :)<br>Btw, I wrote a new story called 'Love At Second Sight' or something. Read it? It's on my pro. xo **


	13. Chapter 13

Joe and I have been on the road for a few hours now. So far, there had been nothing but silence between us. I've come to realize he was much like Nick when on a job. Too much like Nick, actually. I decided not to question him too much on where we were going. He seemed to know and I trusted him so that was all that mattered. But I was still anxious about it all. It showed in the nervous twitch of my leg.

"Relax, would you? That's getting annoying!" Joe smacked my leg.

That kind of hurt. I glared at him slightly. Honestly, I could have punched him right there but I decided against it. He was driving and I didn't want us to crash or anything. "I can't help it. Nervous habit, I guess?" I replied as I tried my best to keep from annoying his heinous. I glanced to my right and saw a sign. It was the first one we've seen in over an hour.

_BUDA 7_

"Joe..." I began, looking over at him. "Buda is a city?"

He glanced over at me. "Yes, Miley, it is." He responded, obviously annoyed with my voice.

Odd. Why would you nickname yourself after the town you live in? Wouldn't people catch on to that? "Why would Nick come here?" I questioned, not really expecting or wanting an answer.

"A close friend lives there." He admitted.

No more than 15 minutes later we made a right off the highway and we pulled into a town. The town itself was pretty average looking. Nothing real unique about it. We turned down a street lined with almost cookie-cutter houses all the way down. We pulled up in front of a large white house. Come to think of it, I was pretty sure this was the only white house on the block. Everything else was brick and stone.

"Wait here!" Joe demanded as he removed the keys from the ignition and opened up his door, getting out of the car.

"What? There's no way you're leaving me in this car by myself! I'm going with you!" I exclaimed as I too, got out.

He turned to me with a frown. "I can't imagine you gave Nick this much trouble!" He complained as we walked up to the door and knocked heavily on it.

I shrugged. "Yeah, well. He's cuter than you."

The door opened and there stood a very interesting individual. Interesting in the sense that he and his house did not match up. His house was classy middle American. Beautiful white house with navy blue shutters over the windows. Bushes perfectly sculpted lined the house under the windows with pebble rock bedding. Flowers grew well kept on either side of the bushes. Not to mention the American flag hung from the column of the porch, blowing gently about in the wind.

The man who answered the door? He was less than beautiful as he stood before us. A fourty-something with black faded biker boots, matched up with torn jeans. He was shirtless, but the chest plate tattoo was enough coverage I suppose. Following that was the ful set of sleeve tattoos on both arms. I hesitated looking to his face, but I couldn't not look at him. A red head, natural, with a full beard reaching all the way down to his chest. It was twisted and tied tightly for easy keeping it seemed. He red hair flowed from the top of his head all the way down half of his back and it was as smooth and silky as silk itself. He had four piercing in each ear and two in each eye brow. One cuffed his nose and two clipped around his bottom lip. He was a site to see for sure.

"Joe." He huffed.

"Buda." Joe replied with a smile.

How annoying. "Me." I blurted out, raising my hand slightly in the air.

"Who is this?" Buda looked down at me.

"This is Miley Stewart." Joe replied.

Buda stared at me a moment then nodded. "Come on in" He held the door for us as we walked inside. The inside of his home was just as beautiful as the outside. Antique furniture and paintings all about. It was surprisingly spotlessly clean and tidy. That child-like clumsy feeling boiled up in the pit of my stomach and I felt instantly like I was back in my grandma's house and I wasn't allowed to touch anything without getting into some serious trouble. "I'll be right back." Buda left the room and I stood uneasily and glanced around a bit. I spotted a picture on the wall to my right. It was of Nick and some girl. They looked rather young. Teens, I'm guessing.

"Who is that?" I pointed to the picture.

Joe looked over. "Selena, Buda's daughter." He stated.

"Right..." I replied and it was quiet for a moment or two. "So, why are we here?"

"Before I got into the Job, Nick always worked under Buda's training. He was like the father Nick never got to know. Anytime Nick needed anything, Buda was there. No matter how crazy things might have gotten. When Buda retired from the Job a couple of years ago, Nick used to always come down here every weekend. I always thought he was taking Buda's retirement kind of harsh. Turns out, he had fallen in love with Selena." Joe paused and sighed. I looked at him. "They were supposed to marry but then Selena got really busy and Selena was constantly hounding him to quit but this Job was Nick's life at the time. Selena decided there wasn't room for the both of them in Nick's life, so she left him. But Buda was still Nick's mentor and whenever he gets into a jam, this is where he comes." He looked at me and I assumed I had an angry look on my face because he then said, "Yeah, I probably should have left the Selena part out."

Buda came back in the room with a girl my age with short brown hair and piercing brown eyes. She was a bit shorter than me. It couldn't have been anyone other than Selena. Buda and Joe instantly started in on 'the Job language' and I tried my best to follow anything and everything they said, but it all sounded gibberish to me. "Where, exactly, is Nick now?" I questioned. Both Joe and Buda looked at me. Buda then motioned something to Selena and she grabbed my arm and pulled me into the kitchen.

"Would you like something to drink?" She asked.

"No, but I would like to not be jerked around anymore." I spat, frowning at her.

"You must be the last job... Um... Miley, right?" She asked but didn't really give me time to answer before she stated speaking again. "Nick mentioned you once."

"Stop calling me a 'Job' alright? Where is Nick?" I asked, rather annoyed by her in general.

"He's around." She smiled as I frowned at her. "I've known Nick a long time, he'll hover around the place for a while and pop in on occasion so that no one really expects anything." She paused and smiled at me once again. "Are you sure you don't want anything to drink?" She asked as she opened the cabinet and reached up for a cup. As she reached up, I could see a tattoo on her back. A heart, with two guns crossed behind it... Nick's name in the middle.

Now I was really annoyed.

"No, I'm quite alright." I stated and then walked out of the room.

Joe saw me heading straight for the door. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"Outside!" I shouted as I quickly left the house.

To say I was mad was an understatement. To say these people I barely knew were fucking with my head, was an even bigger understatement. As I reached Joe's car and bent down by the tire to get the extra key, I heard a familiar sound, a familiar car, actually. I stood up and saw Nick's car coming down the street. He pulled up in the driveway and I turned in his direction as he stepped out of the car. He looked at me and our eyes met for just a moment. He stood there, staring a moment, unsure if i was really there or not. "Miley, the hell? What are you doing here?" He asked as he raced over to me.

The door to the house opened and Selena stood in the doorway. "Hurry up and get in here, babe. Dad and Joe are running down plans." She called to him.

Babe? Seriously? I wish I had a gun...

"Just a minute!" He replied. Selena frowned and went back in the house. "So?"

"I'm not sure I quite know anymore." I replied.

"I don't think you should be here, Miley." He admitted to me, softly. "It's too dangerous. You could get hurt and-"

"Dangerous?" I interuppted him. "To my life or to your little game of house here?"

"Miley..." He scorned, "Don't be that girl!"

"Alright. I won't be 'that girl'" I stated, then clenched my fist tightly and, purely out of anger, punched him hard in the face. He stumbled slightly over his feet and feel on his butt to the ground. I knelt down to him. "I'm going to leave you here, to dwell in your past, alone. So you can have your mentor, your brother, your long lost love and your adventure. You can go back to living your dangerous full of shit life and I'll leave and never think about you again!" A lie. I would leave there just as heartbroken as I was before, if not more. I got up and got into Joe's car. I could hear Nick shouting my name as I turned on the engine, but I wasn't in the mood to listen. So I pulled away from the house and made a U-Turn straight out of that town.

My act of independence seemed like a good idea at the time. Show him I don't need him to survive, but the truth was, I'm extremely bad with directions. Not only do I have no idea where I am, I'm stranded on the side of the road, out gas. I laid, surprisingly unconcerned, over the back seat. I felt the phone in my pocket vibrating and I reached in and pulled it out.

"Hello?"

"Where the hell are you?" Nick's angry voice flowed loudly through the speaker of the phone.

"I don't know." I replied.

He sighed. "Don't fuck around with me, Miley!"

"I'm not, I really don't know. I ran out of gas and I'm on the side of the road somewhere."

"Perfect!" I could tell from his voice that he was very pissed off and annoyed with me right now, "Did you make a left or a right out of town?" He questioned.

I thought for a second. "Ri- No, left. I think."

"For the love of all things-" He started.

"Medical." I finished for him, a smirk on my face. "This isn't the appropriate situation to use that phrase in. You should have said something like, 'for the love of God' or something."

He sighed again. "Don't go anywhere or get in a car with anybody! I mean it!"

Okay. So Nick was mad. REALLY mad. I don't blame him, though. I did punch him in his pretty little face and basically told him to go to hell. After about ten minutes of waiting on him, I soon fell asleep. I then woke to a knocking at the window. It was Joe. I sat up and unlocked the door.

"You are out of your mind, do you know that?" Joe asked me as he snatched his keys away from me. I watched as he headed to the trunk, mumbling something about how he couldn't believe I stole his car. He pulled a gas can out of the trunk.

"Why didn't you say that was there!" I exclaimed.

"MILEY." I heard Nick's voice. Oh, the heart wrenching sound of his angry voice. I've heard it maybe three times my entire relationship with him and it was never a good thing to hear... never. Especially when he called me Miley instead of Mi. I turned and saw him leaning against his car. He motioned with his finger for me to come to him. The eerily unpleasant look on his face worried me and I couldn't help but do as he said... or motion, rather. As I got closer, I could see the bruising that was forming below his eye. I cringed slightly knowing that I definitely was not on his good side at the moment. "You have lost your ever loving mind!" He yelled.

"You have to understand where I'm coming from here, Nick!" I argued.

"I do understand, but it seems that lately all you want to do is hit first and ask questioned later!" He argued back.

"I'm sorry." I paused for a second. "Does it hurt?" I reached up to touch his eye.

Pulling away, he smacked my hand. "Yes. It does!" His voice was blunt and bitter to the ears.

I sighed slightly. "You're right, Nicholas. I should have just pretended you and I never happened. I should have just become stone, just like you!"

He frowned. "Miley, I don't have time to deal with this!" He stated harshly.

"Right..." I spoke softly, "I'm just going to go home and you can go fuck yourself!" Turning around, I began to storm off up the road.

"Why are you making this so hard?" He called to me. "Why can't you just let it go?"

Let it go? LET IT GO? Is he serious? I turned backa round and gave him an icy stare. "You can't just let go of the fact that the man you're in love with ran off without a simple word to play house in some off beat town with a 'has-been' and the once 'love of his life!" I shouted.

He took a step forward. "It isn't like that!"

"Spare me the safety bullshit, Nick. I don't buy it!"

"God, you just don't get it do you?" He began, "They won't hesitate to kill you simply because I know you!"

I laughed sarcastically. "Right. So you leave me at home? Completely unprotected? Wow, I feel so loved!" I stuck up my middle finger, shouting at him.

"I tried to protect you!" He shouted back, "That's why I left you!"

"If when you're in love with someone, you leave them and when I'm in love with someone, I do anything to help, then maybe we are just too damn incompatible." I replied bitterly.

"You're probably right!" He argued.

The ride back to Buda's home was a little on the awkward side. You would think that after our years together that there couldn't ever be an awkward moment between us, but here we are. Nick with his elbow at the window and a stone face and then me, sitting in the passenger seat unsure what to say or do. I looked over at him for a second and then back at Joe behind us and began to wish I would have rode with Joe. Its not that I didn't want to be around Nick, hell, that was the whole reason I was here, but I know that he's still mad at me and I know at any moment, he could blow again. That would only result in the both of us saying things that we don't mean. So I stayed silent, and left Nick to his thoughts.

Whatever those may be.

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><p><strong>Eh? I have nothing to say for this chapter. Review? Tell me what you like, what you didn't like and what you wanna see. c:<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

Once Nick pulled up into the garage in Buda's home, I looked back as Joe stopped in the driveway behind us and then the garage door began to close behind us. I looked over at Nick as the darkness began to take over the garage and he turned off the engine. I heard him sigh softly. "I'm going to ask you this once and then I'm going to drop it and we never have to talk about it again..." He began. I looked in his direction, but I couldn't really see him anymore now that the garage door was completely shut.

"Okay..." I spoke softly. Not really too sure about where he was going with this conversation, or why we were having it in the dark of some strangers garage.

"When you think ahead in life, about what you're doing and where you'll be, and even who you're with... Do you really see me in all that?" He asked.

I stared into the darkness a moment. Not sure if he wanted the absolute truth or if he wanted me to say what he wanted to hear. "Nick, I never thought to much about our future. Not because I didn't want it to go anywhere, because I knew if I thought about it, I would just be living on false hope." I stated.

"What does that even mean?" He asked.

"It means I've always known that sooner or later, you would get bored with me, with life, and you would go back to your job, back to the road, back to being the knight in shinning armor for the next damsel in distress."

"Do you really think I'm that unsympathetic to your feelings for me?" I heard him shift in his seat. "You think I would really leave you like that?"

"You already have!" I exclaimed.

He sighed. "That was different, you know that."

"Now I do, but I didn't then!" I whined. "You just got up and left with no explanation or anything. Can you even imagine how that must of felt for me?"

"Yes..." He said softly as his hand found mine through the darkness. "That's why I came back. And I wanted to tell you everything, but I just didn't want you involved. The less you knew, the less likely they were to hurt you. Which is why I don't want you here. Not because of what life I might have had here at one time, but because I love you to much to let anything happen to you."

"Well, I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere." I stated firmly.

I heard him laugh lightly. "I don't think you could make it home by yourself even if you wanted to leave." There he was. The Nick I had been missing for months. We finally got out of the car and made our way in the house. Buda stopped us in the kitchen and for what seems so long a moment, he stared at us, moving his eyes from Nick back to me ever few seconds. He then began to speak.

"She really shouldn't' be here, Nick." He said to Nick, while staring at me. For such a hard and worn out man, his look was very understanding and kind. Almost fatherly.

Nick nodded. "I know, but she not going anywhere now. I've tried. She's just stubborn like that." He replied.

"You do understand how dangerous it is for you to be here, right?" Buda asked me.

I nodded slightly. "I know being here is a so-called risk to my life, but what else can I do when my life is here?" I asked him.

He stared at me another moment and then looked over at Nick. "Well played..." He stated with a smile. Nick laughed lightly and grabbed my hand as we headed into the living room, where we were met with Joe and Selena. I had to admit that even looking at her standing there with Joe, I was jealous. To think that these two boys that I loved dearly once had a relationship like ours with someone else almost made me feel like a replacement and I hated that feeling.

"So, here's what we're going to do..." Buda began. But the mere sight of me sent off some sort of bitch button in Selena and she spoke out.

"Why is she still here?" She questioned.

"Because she wants to be here and that's all you need to know!" Buda stated.

"I thought we were trying not to get Nick killed." She stated and then looked at me, "There's no room for weakness."

Seriously? Weakness?

"Selena! That's enough!" Her father stated. Despite the stern sound in her father's voice, she kept her eyes on me.

"It would appear that the only weakness in this room is the fact that you're completely disheveled by me even standing here, which I happen to find quite humorous, so keep it up. I could use the laughter." I spat at her.

"So, anyway... back to the plan." Joe stated trying his best to shut us up and keep the peace.

But unfortunately for us, she couldn't just shut the hell up. "Please, the fact that you think you have any effect on me what-so-ever is what is humorous." She stated.

"Guys..." Nick began.

"Say what you want, Selena, but we all can tell that you're threatened by me."

"Threatened?" She laughed lightly, as she then tossed off her jacket.

"Sel, I wouldn't..." Joe began, but before he could finish his sentence or anyone else could say anything for that matter, her fist collided with my face.

"SELENA MARIE!" I heard the voice of her father shout through the room. "Have you lost your mind, child?" He yelled, pulling her away.

"Oh, give me a break, the bitch deserved it." Selena rolled her eyes.

I reached up and wiped the blood from my face and looked up at her. I felt Nick's hand on my arm. I knew what he was going to say. Let it go. Its not a big deal. But it was a big deal. She just challenged my strength. Trying to prove she knew the type of girl I was. I was only defending myself... and maybe my pride a little. "Nice..." I began. She gave me a smirk and I couldn't help my next action. My fist balled and I punched her back, clear in the face. And before she even had time to fall over the table behind her, I reached around Nick, to the gun he kept in the back of his pants. I walked over, placed my foot on her throat and shot a warning shot to the side of her head, through the floor.

"Whoa!" Joe exclaimed.

"Miley, are you crazy?" Nick shouted at me. "You want to give me that back, please?" He reached for the gun but I pushed his hands away, glaring at Selena who remained on the floor.

"If you ever, ever, EVER put your disgusting little hands on me again..." I began, as I leant down closer to her, "The next time this gun goes off in your direction, it won't miss." Nick grabbed the gun from me, and I backed off of Selena as Joe helped her up. I looked over at Buda. "I'm sorry I shot a hole in your floor." I said softly.

He gave me a soft nod. "It's alright. She deserved it." He stated.

"Dad!" Selena exclaimed.

"Listen to me. I am the one in charge here." Buda stated firmly. "You can not want her here all you want, but she's not going anywhere. So you either deal with that, or you stay here!"

"Whatever, fine!" She replied, then gave me one last look, "I'm going to get ice..." She stated and made her way out of the room. I looked up at Nick as he emptied out his gun. He brought his hand up to my mouth as I felt it swell under his fingers. He gave me a smile and leaned in towards my ear.

"That had to be the sexiest things I have ever seen you do." He whispered.

I laughed lightly as he pulled away.

"Alright you two. None of that!" Buda stated.

"What?" Nick asked.

"I'm not stupid, Nick. I was like you once, in fact, I married my wife sstrictly because of how she could handle a gun." He stated with a smile. "Now, go pack up only the things you absolutely need. We leave in the morning!"

"Where too?" I questioned.

He looked at me and shrugged. "Where ever the road leads us." That was all he said as he made his way upstairs.

"Come on, we should get some rest." Nick stated as he headed towards the steps. I followed him. He lead me to his room and as I stepped into it, I instantly felt at home. Just the view of all his things scattered about the room, and the scent of his cologne still lingering in the air, brought a sense of peace to me. Could I really be this in love with him?

"My bag is in Joe's trunk." I stated as I looked around, not sure where Nick had gone. He reappeared a moment later from what I assumed was an adjacent bathroom. He gave me a look that said more than I could manage to take in and I turned away from him.

"Are you really going to play this game with me?" He asked as he knelt down on the bed. I looked up at him from the other side and shrugged. He tossed me one of his shirts and pointed to the bathroom. "Go, get ready..." I gave in to his request and to be honest, I couldn't really tell you why I was so hesitant to go to bed with him. There wasn't a moment that went by every night those three months he was gone that I didn't wish he was in bed next to me. What made now so different? I thought about it a moment as I washed my face.

Could it be this place? Standing here, in a strange place, getting ready to go to bed with someone who's completely comfortable here, is kind of making me feel like the fiancé that went home for the weekend with her boyfriend to meet his parents. Something about this place made me not want to do anything to taint what they might already think of me. I felt as though there were camera's everywhere watching me, ready to make hasty judgments about me at any movement or spoken word.

Could it be that the once love of his life was somewhere close by? Sure, it's over for him, but I could tell by the look in her eyes whenever she saw him. I knew it wasn't over for her. He might have moved on with his life, moved on to me. But she was still gunning for him and that made me worry a little. How desperate can a girl be to try and take out someone she barely knew within the first few hours of meeting her. Whatever it was. I was not liking the feeling at all.

I quickly changed and went back into the room. Nick was already in bed. He was looking over some papers and for a moment I had a flashback of the past. Of the day, when I was on the run with a man I barely knew. Of the day, when he sat on his hotel bed writing out somethings he didn't want me to know. Of the day when I found out what exactly he was protecting me from. The day I put my heart and soul into trusting him with my life.

He must have noticed me standing there, staring off into space, walking down memory lane, cause began to speak. "What?" He asked, though he didn't look up from his notebook to look at me, I gave him a shrug anyway.

"Just thinking..."

"About what?" This time he did look at me and I smiled at him.

"About the day, I fell in love with you." I replied. Forgive me for the completely cheesy moment.

Nick gave me a smile and set his things down. He scooted over in the bed and patted the space next to him. I willingly did as he motioned and crawled into bed with him. He turned off the light and then wrapped his arms around me. I turned in his arms to face him and he leaned in and kissed my forehead softly, and then my nose. I nuzzled my head into his chest and breathed in the scent that was Nick. I let out a huge sigh and it was like Heaven to be in his arms again. How could I ever live without this Heaven?

I hope I never have to find out.

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><p><strong>Review? Pretty please with a cherry on top! :) Just kidding, I hate cherries.<br>****So um, let's see. In your review, tell me the name(s) of your favorite song(s).  
>Really, I need new songs on my iPod. D;<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

When that first hint of dawn crept into the room and onto the bed, I dreaded its arrival. I had been awake for a few hours now, just laying there, my arms around Nick, while I laid my head gently on his chest. At first I was just afraid to move and wake him, but now I just didn't want to let go. To let go would start the new day. The day that began the journey of saving Nick's life.

I sighed slightly and nuzzled closer to him, not wanting to think about it anymore until it was absolutely necessary to do so. Just as I was about to fall back to sleep when my eyes closed and I gave into the idea of dreamland, the stupid alarm clock went off. I moaned slightly in annoyance, as I heard Nick groan at the noise. Then I felt him move slightly and the horrible sound subsided. I kept my eyes closed even though I was nowhere near sleep now. I felt him move once more and his hand slid up the back of my night shirt. He leaned over and kissed my forehead softly.

"Wake up..." He whispered.

"I don't want too..." I replied.

He laughed a sleepy tired laugh and rolled over on top of me. I opened one eye to look at him as he rested himself between my legs. His arms were on either side of me, maintaining his own weight, as he looked down at me. "Both of 'em!" He stated with a smile, and I opened them and looked up into his big beautiful brown eyes as he stared deeply back into mine. "Good morning!"

"Morning..." I spoke softly as he leaned in and brought his lips to mine. It was a soft kiss. A loving and caring one, not in the least bit sexual. In a weird way, I was kind of thankful he didn't want sex.

He kissed me once more, before crawling out of bed. He headed into the bathroom and I rolled over and covered back up. Not too soon thereafter, however, a knock rose at the door. I heard it creep open slowly and then a soft voice flowed through the air above the covers.

"Nick? You up yet?" The door closed behind and I sat up to come face to face with Joe. He looked over at me and laughed. "Well... good morning, sunshine!" He stated.

"He's in the bathroom." I stated with a yawn.

Joe crawled up onto the bed next to me where Nick had been laying. He gave me a look that told me he was going to tell me something, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to. Typical Jonas trait, afraid to confront anything that wasn't a life risk.

"What?" I asked knowing he wasn't going to say anything unless I initiated the conversation.

"Ashley called me this morning." He stated.

I looked up at him when he didn't continue. "And?"

"And she's mad. She said that she only decided to follow her feelings with me cause she thought I had given this life up." He paused. "She said she's not going to wait for me to come home..."

Sometimes, I really did hate Ashley but like I said before, I knew this was coming. I was just surprised she did it before he got the chance to. "How could she expect you not to? He's your brother." He gave me a shrug. "Are you okay?"

"I really did love her, as hard as that is to believe. But if she doesn't think I'm worth the wait, then maybe it wasn't meant to last." He sighed.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulder in a hug. "My poor, Joey!" I crooned and kissed his forehead gently.

"I wonder what Nick would think if he knew you two were so close?" The dreaded, annoying voice of Selena flooded the room.

"Nick knows!" Nick stated, as he came out of the bathroom, "Stop trying to start a fight and go and do whatever it is that you're supposing to be doing." The annoyance in his voice brought a smile to my face. However, I knew there was a deeper root to his annoyance and he'll be like that most of the day. It was going to be a very long day.

"Buda says to get ready and come down to breakfast. He wants everyone good and stuffed before we hit the road." Selena stated and then quickly left the room.

Nick looked over at us and smirked. "So," He began, "What's wrong with you?" He directed the question to Joem but he was looking at me because he knew his brother wouldn't say anything.

"Ashley is a bitch!" I stated.

"She always was a piece of work." Nick replied, laughing softly.

"Guys!" Joe groaned, "Can we please not start the trash talk about her for at least a day?" Aw. He really did love her.

"Sure..." I responded, giving him an apologetic look.

"Thank you." Joe stood and headed for the door. "Oh," He reached down by the chair next to the door and threw a bag at me, "I brought you your stuff."

I smiled. "Thanks, Joey."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He replied as he left the room.

It remained pretty quiet as Nick and I both got dressed and made our way down to breakfast. As I followed him into the kitchen, I realized that when Selena said Buda wanted us 'stuffed', he really meant stuffed. On the large old oak table was what seemed like a feast for many. Pancakes piled next to Waffles. Eggs from scrambled to fried. Hash browns and every style of breakfast pork known to man. There was even some biscuit on the stove and a pot of gravy next to it. We sat down at the table and as everyone else began grabbing at this and that, I couldn't stop staring at all of it.

"What's the matter Princess?" Selena began, "Afraid it will go to your hips?"

I knew she was trying to unnerve me into another altercation, but I really wasn't in the mood to play that game that morning. "No, I've just never seen so much food." I replied.

"Yes, well, everyone always wants something different and I don't mind to cook." Buda stated as he walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. "So, eat up. We won't have much time to stop."

Needless to say, after breakfast, I felt as though I would be full for a whole week.

We were all seated in the living room so that Buda could go over his "plan" with us. "We're going to go east until we hit the coast. It'll take a few days, so we'll be stopping a few times for rest and refueling. I don't want any of you stopping for any reason unless its verified through me. This is serious business, there are lives at stake." Buda looked around at all of us very sternly. "Get packed up, go to the bathroom and lets go!"

Everyone rushed off quickly to go do whatever it was they needed to before they left. I remained seated on the couch, staring intensively at my hands.

"Miley?" I heard Buda call to me. I looked up at him and he gave me a fatherly look. The kind of look you got when you didn't listen and came home to late.

"I just have this bag..." I stated and lightly kicked the bag at my feet.

He looked down at it and then back up at me. "You pack light for a girl." He stated.

I gave him a shrug. "After dating Nick for so long, you kind of learn the difference between essentials and what you might need."

He stared a moment and then broke out in a small laughter. "You know, I like you. You remind me a lot of Selena's mother." He paused a moment. "She was always so practical about things. She also had a heart of gold. Always had soft spots for everything. Much like you."

"If you don't mind me asking. What happened to your wife?"

"Well, we were never married." He began. "And she died a few years before Nick came into our lives. I suspect that's why Selena is so attached to him. Even now, after they've broken up. It was the first time she ever let her heart be out on that sleeve again."

"I guess I can't really blame her for that... Can I ask you something else?" I smiled as he nodded. "What's with your name?"

He gave me a smile once more and laughed lightly. "In this business kid, you can never stay yourself for too long." He stood and stretched, "there's always someone, somewhere, looking for you for some reason."

"So who's the real you?"

"The real me died long before Selena was born." He sighed. "His name was Ricardo. He was born in a small town in Mexico and moved to America when he was 10 with his grandparents. He lived a normal life for the most part. Though often times he would get himself into trouble because he always had that sense of needing to prove himself to others. When he was 19, he met this guy in a bar who worked as a bounty hunter. He went on to describe his job as dangerous and life threatening and at the time, nothing sounded more exciting to Ricardo. So... he signed up and trained for some odd number of weeks. His first job was to hunt down a serial bank robber who was highly trained in martial arts. He took a pretty good beating, but still managed to capture the fugitive. He became a legend in the business at 20 years old and from them on out, lived, breathed and craved adventure."

"What happened?" I questioned when he had stopped. His story was so intriging I felt myself on the edge of the couch in anticipation of what he would tell me next.

"On his last mission, Ricardo worked with a partner, Norman Miller. Him and Ricardo were a few years apart in age and the best of friends. They were hired to recover a kidnapped kid from the child's deranged father. Ricardo made a mistake and got Norman, as well as the little girl, shot. They both died at the scene and Ricardo never forgave himself. And therefore, died that day as well..."

I could see the hurt in his eyes as he stared off into space. I could see him replaying the day over and over in his head. I couldn't' begin to imagine his pain and I almost regretted ever asking him to tell me. "I'm sorry..." I spoke softly.

He shook his head as though he was ridding himself of his memories and he glanced at me a moment. "I don't want you to end up being that ache for Nick." He stated when I looked up at him. "I always knew that my daughter was not meant to be with Nick forever, which is why their parting didn't concern me much. I knew, in his heart, that there was always love for someone else there. He just didn't know at the time who that love was meant to be given to." He stopped a moment to sit down next to me. He grabbed my hand and held it between his own. "When Nick walked back through that door, I knew something about him was different. And when he spoke of you, I knew that was it. I watched him walk around here with that gloomy look in his eye and I knew he had found love. And when I look at you, I see that love in your eyes, and when he looks at you, its like there's nothing else around."

I'm not sure why, but I began to feel the warm liquid of my tears roll down my cheek.

"I fear that this adventure is far too large for you two to handle. Something bad could happen to you both and I know you know that. I applaud your bravery, but I dread the day I might have to see the two of you parted." He continued.

All I could do was nod.

I mean what could I say to that?

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><p><strong>I am SOOOOOOOOOO sorry to keep you waiting, I honestly tried to update everyday.<br>However I got so lazy and I felt as though fanfiction became my number one priority.  
>I was staying up late just to write and stuff and I had to stop. :l<br>Forgive me, yes? And again, THANK YOU for the reviews.  
>I can't believe I'm always at 100, hohoho. :)<br>Love youuuu, xo.**


	16. Chapter 16

After my conversation with Buda, I was much more concerned for Nick's life. If Buda, a man who knew this business from front to back, saw it out as the biggest challenge for us, then how could I be even the least bit confident that we were going to make it?

To say I was depressed at this point would honestly be nothing but an understatement.

Only to seemingly make my day even worse, Buda split us up into two cars. Nick road with Buda. Selena and I road with Joe. The tension inside the car was nearly as thick as cement but at least it was quiet; and though I would normally curse the silence, this was a silence I cherished. Because I know anything said would just cause a fight and I was tired of fighting.

A few hours into the new adventure, the weather seemed to become the complete opposite of the environment inside the car. While it was shining brightly with warmth outside, it was dreadful and cold as ice inside.

That, however, soon changed when the silence became too much to bare for Joe. "Hey. Why are you so gloomy? What did Buda say to you?" He asked.

"Nothing." I replied as I glanced in the side mirror at Selena. It wasn't that I didn't want to tell him. Hell, I usually told him everything within reason. I had no problems sharing stuff with him. But with Selena in the car and the subject at matter, I couldn't. It would only hurt her feelings and cause an unwanted yet heated argument.

"Well, I don't quite believe that. Buda always has something to say but alright, whatever." He laughed lightly, dropping the subject as he turned his attention back to the road.

"Why don't you want to talk about what my dad said?" Selena asked, her voice rising from the back seat. It was more out of curiosity then hatefulness.

I shrugged my shoulder slightly. "It just doesn't concern anything we're doing now, so I'm not going to distract everyone with non-sense." I leaned forward and turned on the radio. It blared out a song I didn't know, but it didn't matter. It was enough to drown out the thoughts in my head, and keep Selena and Joe from wondering what I was thinking. I didn't want to talk to anyone at that moment. In fact, I just wanted to be left alone for the rest of the day.

For the most part, my wish to be secluded in my tomb of steel, was given. Joe and Selena took the hint of my silence and didn't question me any further. As dusk began to fall and I heard the ache of my stomach, I began to wonder when we were going to stop. I had looked over and saw that Joe was out of gas and frowned slightly. We were no where near a hotel, motel or an inn. As I looked around the lush green vacant lands, I hadn't a clue where we were, but I knew where ever we were, it was peaceful, and calming. I felt a soft smile escape my face.

First one all day.

Suddenly, my pocket had begun to buzz from the vibration of my phone and I jumped slightly in my seat. Joe gave me a concerned look until he saw me pull my phone out. I looked down at the call I.D. only to find that it was Nick calling. I answered it quickly. "Yeah?"

"Buda says there are some camp ground ahead a few miles. We're going to stop in there and rest a for a bit." He mumbled into the phone, obviously tired.

"Sounds like... fun." I replied quietly. I wasn't a fan of camping. The silence in the night with nothing but the chirping of bugs annoyed me. How something like that didn't drive everyone mad? I didn't know. Without another word, Nick hung up and I sat my phone in my lap. "There's some camp grounds up the road. We're stopping there." I announced.

I heard Selena moan from the backseat. I suppose she wasn't a fan of camping either. Joe, however, didn't say anything. I wasn't even sure if he had heard me until he suddenly spoke.

"Arrowhead..." He muttered. I wasn't sure if he even was talking to us, or just to himself. He did that a lot though. "Arrowhead Camp Grounds..." He spoke again. "They haven't been open in years."

"Why is that?" I asked him.

He looked and me and shrugged. "I don't know. Everyone has a different story." He paused. "A cabin collapsed, a boat sank, bear attacks..." He laughed at that last one. "All I know is that there was some kind of an accident and some people died. They haven't been able to gain any business since. So they closed down." He sighed. "Man, I haven't been here in years. I bet its completely over grown by now."

Selena let out another moan from the backseat and I couldn't help but smile. A few miles down the road I saw the sign for this camp ground on the side of the road. Weeds and tall grass had over run it but it was still visible enough. This concerned me. As we pulled off the highway and onto the unkempt dirt road, I felt a slight ailing in my stomach. Joe and Selena must have felt the same, cause I heard a groan from them both. We ventured further in, and a few cabins became visible. I sighed slightly.

At least we don't have to sleep in tents.

Over on the other side of the camp were cleared out sections and places for tents to set up a camping spot. By the looks of things, I assumed people still came up here despite it being out of business. Most likely teenagers looking for a good party environment.

Buda came to a stop about ten feet ahead of us. Joe pulled the car up beside Buda's truck. No one said a word, just spilled on out of the cars and stretched in unison, almost like they had done this numerous times before and it was just another day in the life. It made me giggle more than anything.

Nick came around to the front of Joe's car, where Joe and Selena where now standing. They began to talk, but I couldn't really hear what about. I didn't really care to hear, but if I did, I'm sure I could have heard them if I wanted to. I sat there a moment, trying to find some clarity in the cloudy mess of my mind. But all I could do, was look at Nick. He was the reason I was here, the reason all of us were here. The fact that these people were risking their lives to save this man still amazed me to this day. To know that Nick is the kind of man people risk death for just made me more attracted to him in the slightest bit.

Sure, I've been dating Nick for over two years now but we rarely talked about the job. Seeing as the job was most of his life, there's so much about him I didn't know. Why couldn't I know about Buda, or Selena even? I always knew there would be things Nick could never bare to tell me, but I couldn't help but still wonder what they are.

Nick glanced over at me through the windshield, a weird look on his face. "Are you going to get out or what?" He asked as Selena and Joe headed off to see where Buda had gone.

"I'm going to go with 'or what'." I replied.

He smirked at me slightly. "Fine..." He shrugged his shoulders as he placed his hands on the hood of Joe's car, leaning into it slightly. He would have chopped off Joe's hands if he had done that to his car.

"If you want to sleep out here, all alone, in the dark... so be it!" Nick chimed.

I got out of the car and stretched slightly. "Something tells me its safer to my health to stay in the car." I stated and Nick let out a slight laugh as he we headed off to find the others.

We found them inside one of the cabins near the lake. As I stepped into the cabin, I realized this had been planned. As I looked around the small cabin, there were sleeping bags piled over on the wall, and a small refrigerator that was powered by a generator in the corner. There were snacks sitting on a counter on the other side of the room. The place also appeared newly cleaned as the scent of house cleaning chemicals still lingered in the air.

"This cabin is where we will eat tonight, and then again in the morning. What food is remaining we will take with us. There are two other cabins; one on either side of this one. They have been cleaned and cleared out. Joe and Selena, you will stay in the cabin on my left. Nick and Miley, the cabin on the right. We will also be taking the sleeping bags with us, cause ladies and gents, this might be the last time we sleep indoors." He paused a moment and looked from one of us to the other to make sure we understood. "Now, take all your things to your cabin and get settled in and meet back here in 10 for dinner." He ordered and then clapped his hands together and they all moved instantly. I watched on a moment in amusement, before trailing slightly behind.

I headed on into the cabin while Nick went to get our stuff. It was just as small as the other one, and just as clean. There were two cots in the middle of the room with a small wall lamp in between them. There was a small table and a chair on one side, and a bathroom on the other. I sat the sleeping bags down on one of the beds and headed into the bathroom. It too, was very clean. I walked over to the shower and turned the knob. I sighed in relief as the shower head began to rain water. I was dying for a shower.

I heard Nick come into the cabin and I headed back out of the bathroom. "There's a shower, and it works!" I laughed, as he sat the bags down.

"Good," He smirked as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "'Cause let me tell you, I plan on working up a sweat later."

"Is that so?" I grinned, kissing him softly as I wrapped my arms around him. "Sounds like fun to me."

"You two make me sick sometimes!" We heard Joe's voice from the doorway. "Let's go grab some grub!" He shouted at us and then left the cabin just as quickly as he came.

We started out of the cabin, and as we walked Nick reached for my hand. I held it tightly in my own, not wanting to ever let go, 'cause just like Buda said earlier that day, it may be the last time I ever get the chance to do so.

At dinner, we all sat and ate together as Buda honored us with some of his tales of the road. They were all funny stories about safe jobs, and awkward situations. Selena even joined in on the fun, and told us a story about when she went on a mission with Nick and Buda. They were going to collect a bounty from a guy who was out on bond. He missed his court date and they were sent to pick him up. Buda presumed that he was of no real threat and told Selena she could ride along. Buda was right, and he was no real threat to them, but apparently Selena was. The guy had tried to run, and as he came at the car, Selena had opened the door and the guy slammed into it before hitting the ground with a thud. Apparently, she's been in the business ever since.

To tell you the truth, I was beginning to like Selena; and boy, does it pain me to say that…

After dinner, Nick and I slipped away. Taking a gentle "enjoy the night" from Buda with us. As we made it to the cabin, all I could think about was laying down and passing out into a sweet, much needed, slumber. The last couple days since Nick returned to my life have been very draining, and as I laid my eyes upon those beds, a heaviness began to tease my vision. As much as I wanted to just throw myself down, I knew Nick wasn't quite ready for sleep.

"Two years later, and here we are again." He stated as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I gave him a soft smile.

"If I would have known you were going to be this much trouble to keep hold of, I wouldn't have bothered." I spoke the words as I tried to keep a straight face, but the look on his face as I said them brought a slight smile on my lips. He gave me a smirk as he walked over towards the bed where he had set his bag earlier. I just stood there a moment and watched him.

I ventured over to the other bed, and as I slid off my jacket, the draftiness of the cabin caught my skin. A weird noise must have escaped my lips, cause Nick looked up at me.

"What's the matter?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.

I looked over at him and shook my head. "Nothing, It's just a little chilly in here." I replied.

Nick walked over to me again and wrapped his arms around me. Leaning into his chest, I sighed as he rubbed his hands up and down my arms. "Getting warmer?" He asked. I nodded my head gently.

This was the Nick I missed the most. The Nick that always wanted to make sure I was safe, comfortable and loved.

"I think I'm gonna go and shower though."I leaned up and kissed him softly. "K?"

Nodding his head, he smiled down at me. "Okay."

Making my way into the bathroom, I began to realize it was a little less than clean and I was sure I could have caught tetanus at any moment. I turned on the faucet and prayed for a clear liquid. Thankfully, it was. I took a towel from my pile and wiped the mirror clean. I looked at myself a moment. These past couple days have aged me terribly and I felt a certain weakness and tiredness, in my bones. When Nick and I first began to date, we went at each other for months. It was non-stop with us, anything to get our adrenaline pumping. Anything to achieve that pulsating high. But I was not as energetic as I used to be and Nick was definitely slowing down his pace. And as I stood there, looking at the effect of our lives all over my face, I knew we weren't prepared for this.

Turning away from the mirror as a loud thud shot through the air, I stood there a moment, and just listened. "Nick, what are you doing out there?" I called out to him, shaking my head as I stepped into the shower. "Are you alright?"

Leaning down to turn on the water, I noticed he didn't answer. "Babe...?" I paused for a moment. Still, no answer. Wrapping a towela around me, I began to go toward the door. Opening it, I called out to him once more. "Nicholas?"

A pain like nothing I had ever felt coarsed through my veins as my legs gave from under me and I hit the floor. I could hear muffled screams from a familiar voice. I lifted my head slightly and though the pain blurred my vision, I could see three bodies around me. A pipe-feel from the hands of one of them, as the other two picked a body up off the ground. The muffling continued as I tried my best to get up. Another pain shot through my stomach as I toppled over.

"Stay bitch, stay." I heard the laughter of a very unfamiliar voice. "Oh, and don't you worry your pretty little head darling, we'll take real good care of Nick." The man laughed again as footsteps began to move around me.

As I laid there, with the room getting darker and darker, the footsteps retreated farther away. Within no time, I dozed off into the blackness of nothing.

"Miley...?" Joe's worried voice shook me from the darkness soon after. As I opened my eyes to look at him, things still seemed pretty blurry. But at that moment all I could think about was Nick. "MILEY!" Joe blurted out, shaking me a little more.

"Where's Nick?" I asked, ignoring the sharp pains in my body.

"Miley..." I heard Buda's voice but I couldn't see him. "Just listen to me, okay? You got knocked out pretty bad. We're not sure how long you've been down or what condition you're in, so Selena is going to take you to the nearest hospital, okay?"

The nearest hospital? I couldn't go to the hospital. THEY had Nick.

"What?" Selena glared at her father. "Why do I have to take her? I don't want to." She argued.

What a bitch, but that's fine. I didn't want to go to a hospital anyways. "They have Nick!" I exclaimed as I attempted to get up. Falling dizzy as my legs became weak, I fell into Joe's arms.

"Joe, get her into the car please." Buda commanded, turning to his daughter. "Let's go."

I could feel the rush in Joe's steps as he carried me to the car. All I wanted to do was scream at him to put me down. To tell them I'm fine. To help them go find Nick. But at this moment, I didn't even have the strength to move. Joe laid me over the back seat of the car and I heard the door shut then Buda's voice.

"Selena, you drive as fast as you can without hurting her even more. Got it?" Buda stated.

"Whatever." I heard another door shut and the engine turn on. "We'll call you when we're there." Her voice was the last thing to flood my thoughts as everything around me grew black once more.

* * *

><p><strong>Don't kill me for not updating for like... two weeks, okay? Thanks.<br>****And sorry for the sudden drama with Nick.  
><strong>**The story was getting boring to me so I came up with this.  
><strong>**Review? Let me know if you like it or if you don't. ~ Pls & thank you.**


	17. Chapter 17

Beep… Beep… Beep…

That's what I woke up too. Can you believe how annoying that is? If that wasn't bad enough, waking up in a hospital room wasn't that much fun either. The bed was rather uncomfortable, leaving my petite frame feeling small and tingly.

I glanced around the room, unsure of how I managed to get here in the first place, but it only took me a few short moments to recall what had happened. As I gently sat up in bed, I looked down at my arm and saw the IV. But I pleased to at least be able to see now, though my eyes still hurt a little. Looking over to my left, I saw Selena sitting in the chair across the room from me. "Selena?" I called to her.

She looked up at me. "Hey, it's about time you woke up!" She stated.

"Where is everyone else?" I questioned her, wincing slightly from the sharp pain in my abdomen.

"They're on their way." She informed mel, watching as I tried to get up. She rushed over and shoved me back down gently. "What do you think you're doing? You just got your ass whooped, you're not getting up!"

"Well, whatever is happening to Nick could be worse and I need to stop it before it gets out of hand." I replied, pushing her away as I attempted to lift myself from the bed once again.

"That's sweet, but my dad and Joe are handling it. In fact, they've already found him."

Cocking an eyebrow, I stopped moving and stared at her for a few seconds, trying to figure out whether she was being serious or just saying that because she didn't want me to get up. "They did?"

Selena nodded, brushing the hair out of her face as she took a seat on the chair beside the bed. "Mhm, they found him walking down the road. Apparently, he put up a fight after what they did to you and caused them to wreck the car. He almost got himself killed over you, you know..." She whispered the last part, idly wondering whether Nick would have done the Joee for her.

"Is he okay?" I questioned her with a wide-eyed expression on my face.

"He's a little banged up, but he'll be fine." Selena remarked. "What you need to do is just need to relax a moment, okay? You have a pretty good lump there."

"Wake me up when he gets here." I demanded, as I laid back down. This is what Buda warned us about. How we were too much of a risk for each other. Maybe I shouldn't be here. "I just... I need to see for myself."

"Okie dokie." Selena replied, nodding her head and watching as I dozed off into another slumber.

About forty minutes later, the door to the hospital room I was in opened. I felt Selena shoving me on the shoulder for a good minute at least before my eyes finally fluttered open. My vision was blurred, but I could see Joe and Nick slip inside. Nick, of course, rushed over to me. "Miley?" He called to me softly.

"I'm alright, don't worry." I stated softly. "It looks worse than it really is."

"Good." He smiled weakly at me, grabbing my hand. "Well, the nurses won't let us take you out of here. So, we'll have to sneak it. Don't worry though, Joe and I already have a plan." He informed her.

"Nick..." I gave his hand a squeeze before smiling weakly in return. "No, it's okay. Just... go without me."

Nick simply shook his head at me, an upset expression growing upon his face. "I can't..." He began. "They know your name, where you live, everything. Mi, if I leave you, I may never see you again." He stated, sadness evident in his eyes. "I can't- no, I won't leave you." There was more to why he wouldn't leave me than just that and everyone knew it. Even if I would have been safe, Nick most likely wouldn't have allowed me to go.

"I really don't think I should be leaving this soon." I announced. Not just to Nick but to everyone in the room. Joe brought me some clothes to change into and went to watch the door as Nick and Selena helped me to get dressed.

"Buda knows how to take care of you, alright? You'll be fine baby, you just have to trust me." Nick stated softly as he cupped my cheeks with his hand.

"Okay..." I grinned, looking into his chocolate-colored orbs. Leaning into kiss him, the door burst open and a very annoyed Joe came rushing in. I could hear Selena sigh with relief in the corner.

"It's clear, can we go now?" He questioned. "That old creepy looking nurse is staring at me."

Nick nodded, ordering for Selena to help him carry me to the door. "We'll just head around the corner to the stairs and then, Joe, you head back out front and tell Buda to pull around." Joe nodded and rushed off down the hallway. "Alright, this way." Nick nodded to the right, as he and Selena each took an arm. They helped me down the hallway toward the back stairs exit. As we reached the door to the steps, I couldn't help but groan.

"Buda better have some drugs after this." I stated. Selena laughed at me slightly, but Nick's look was simply empathetic. We went through the door and at the sight of the stairs, I whimpered again.

"Um, there's no way we're going to get her down three flight of stairs before they find out she's gone." Selena stated, smiling as Nick nodded in agreement.

"Mi, I know you're in a lot of pain right now, and with bruised ribs, this isn't going to make it any better. I'm sorry." Nick stated. He grabbed me around the back with one arm and lifted me from under my legs at the knee with the other.

As my body folded like it use to so easily do, a pain I never wanted to feel again surged through my chest. "Fuck! What are you doing!" I hissed at him.

"Just hold on." He stated as we began descending the stairs. With each unintentional bounce in his step, it felt like a stabbing pain in my side. Once we reached the bottom, I could see Joe waiting with the door open. Buda's truck was sitting not to far away. "Let me put her down." Nick spoke to Joe.

"It can't get any worse, baby, just go." I stated.

Nick picked me back up and rushed off to the truck with Joe trailing close behind as Selena opened the door to the truck. Nick set me in the back and climbed in quickly behind. I saw Joe and Selena go back into the hospital.

"Are you alright, darling?" Buda asked as we turned a corner.

I clutched the seat in front of him tightly and breathed heavily through the pain. Each breath I took made it feel like there was a knife being stabbed through me. My chest heaved painfully up and down. "I feel like punching you in the face for even asking." I replied, turning to Nick. "And I feel like punching you in the face for doing that."

"We'll get you fixed up soon, don't worry." Buda responded.

"It's a long trip, I don't want her to be in that much pain." Nick replied to him, resting his hand on my knee and squeezing it.

"Well, reach into the glove box and give her a dose out of the blue bag."

"A dose of what?" I asked as I lifted my shirt to see my abdomen. There were two huge bruises covering the left side of my body. I looked up as Nick flicked the air out of a needle. "Um, what is that?" I asked.

"It's morphine." He replied, "Buda has pretty much anything you can think of." He poked the needle into my arm and I felt a slight pinch. "This should only take a moment."

"Oh, I love you." I crooned slightly as I leaned back in the seat.

"Love you too, baby." Nick stated with a smile.

As we drove further down the road, I felt a certain weakness come over me. But with the weakness came some peacefulness from the pain. My eyelids began to get heavy. I laid across the seat and let them close completely. Since then, I must have been out for hours, because when I woke, I was laying on a bed, in a darkened hotel room. I sat up, my ribs still aching, and looked around for something familiar. I saw my bag sitting at the end of the bed and across the room, Nick's jacket laid over a chair and his guns laid on the table. I focused a moment and could hear water running. I rolled out of bed gently, grabbing some clothes and hobbled my way to the bathroom. The door was open, allowing the steam from the hot water to freely flow from behind the curtain. I looked for Nick's clothes to verify it was him before going in. I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I've walking in on Joe in the shower… Really… I'd really rather not discuss it.

Spotting Nick's clothes laying over the sink, I walked in, shedding my clothes off gently. A nice hot shower could do my sore spots some good. I pulled back the curtain, as he turned to me abruptly. "Baby, don't sneak up on me like that!" He whined slightly.

"I wasn't trying to. If you don't recall," I began as I reached for him for leverage to step in. "I'm not moving so quickly."

"How you feeling?" He asked.

I paused a moment to allow the hot water to wash over my body. "My headache is gone, for the moment." I turned to him. "But my ribs are still hurting like hell."

"They probably will for a little while." He stated as he rubbed his hands over my arms. I nodded at him before going back to letting the water engulf me. When Nick stepped out of the tub, I stepped completely under the hot spray of the shower nozzle and began lathering my body with soap, rubbing and caressing my sore feet.

The water spraying down on my head began to turn cold, so I shut off the water and climbed out of the shower. I grabbed my plush pink towel from the rack and wrapped my hair up in a smaller, more light weight towel. Grabbing my pair of clean white panties and my white lace bra, I dressed myself, brushed my damp wet hair, and hurried back into the bedroom to join Nick on the bed. He laid across it, flipping through the channels of the crappy hotel TV. I leaned against him with a sigh.

"Are you ready for bed?" He asked.

I frowned at him slightly. "I'm not a child, Nick. Don't start treating me like one, please."

He looked back at me and frowned as well before making another statement. "I'm not. It was just a simple question." He stated.

"Sorry..." I sucked in my bottom lip. The morphine must be wearing off. "Nick…" I began once again. He peeled his eyes away from the TV screen and glued them on to me. "What do we do now?" I questioned.

"Well, in the morning, we're going to head out and drive back on the path we were on before."

"If those guys found us at that abandoned campground, doesn't that mean they know where we're going?" I asked. "I mean, that seems kind of ignorant."

Nick nodded. "Yes, that's exactly why we're going there. They would expect us to go somewhere else. They'd never think we'd go to the exact place they're waiting on us at." He stated nonchalantly. There was obviously reason behind staying on course and I wasn't really in the condition to object. I relaxed back on the bed as Nick shut off the TV. He came up next to me and relaxed back as well.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked.

He pointed to one wall and then to the other. "On either side of us." He replied. I rolled gently to face him as I let my hand rest on his chest. "That's good. We should stick closer together now." I yawned gently as I nuzzled my body up next to him. He wrapped his arm around me gently and kissed my forehead. I soon fell asleep.

I woke that next morning to Nick's very soft lips pressed against my neck. I smiled at him slightly through a yawn. "Hi..." He spoke quietly. "How you feeling?" He lifted my hand, letting his fingers lace through mine gently.

"I don't know. Better, I guess." I stated. Nick nodded at me and then proceeded to get up off the bed. I watched him as he walked around the room packing up whatever he had out the night before. I looked over at the clock. 4:37am. "We leaving already?" I asked.

He looked at me a moment and shook his head. "No. I was just getting everything ready now, so we didn't have to worry about it later." He stated as he went back to packing up the bags.

I watched him, humored by his busy-bee attitude. I knew this Nick. The Nick that needed to stay busy to get his mind off of something else. "Why'd you wake me up?" I frowned. "Come back to bed!" I patted the empty space next to me.

He turned to me and stared a moment, and then shook his head. "No." He stated.

I frowned at him slightly. "Why not?"

"Have you forgotten you're not exactly in a good condition?" He asked as he stuffed more stuff into the bag. He neglected to see that it was already full.

"Nick, I'm fine." I crawled down to the end of the bed, "Its just a little ache, I promise."

"Still…" He shook his head at me again.

"Alright, fine." I huffed as I sat back on the bed. This is the first time Nick has ever told me no and meant it. Usually I could con him into doing whatever I wanted, especially when it ended in sex, but I could tell by the look on his face that he really wasn't going to give in.

"Don't be like that! We have more things to worry about than just that." He stated. "Besides, we're leaving in a few hours," He looked at his watch, "I'm going to go get Joe to keep an eye on you while I go get something to eat at that diner across the street."

"Don't you think seeing as you're a bullet target that maybe Joe should go get the food?" I asked him.

"Buda's going with me, I'll be fine!" He kissed my forehead. "Want anything?"

"You. Back in bed. With me." I replied, grinning before shugging my shoulders. "I don't know, surprise me."

In attempt to stop the smirk from growing on his face, he cleared his throat, running his fingers through his hair as he walked towards the door. "You should probably put some clothes on before he gets here." Nick stated.

"I don't know, maybe if I stay like this, I'll still have a chance to get at least one Jonas inside me today." I chimed.

Nick rolled his eyes and smiled softly. "Ha, ha, ha." He mocked me, before walking out of the room. I'm glad he was so confident about our relationship, because to be honest, I was really contemplating it. I grabbed some clothes and headed into the bathroom to get ready for the, more than likely, eventful day. When I exited the bathroom, Joe was sitting on the bed, flipping through the channels. I began to realize that him and Nick were really too much alike. "Good morning."

"Morning…" He stated, then looked over at me. "So, wanna tell me why Nick told me that if you were naked to leave and lock the door?"

He seemed puzzled, but I was humored. I guess he wasn't as confident as he seemed. Holding back the fit of giggles that raged inside me, I shrugged and sat on the bed beside him. "Who knows?" Leaning my shoulder on his head, I gazed up at him. "Where's Selena?" I questioned him.

"She's still asleep." He replied.

"You share a room with her?" I asked, surprised when he gave me nothing but a shrug. "Joe!" He glanced over at me. I could see it all written in his eyes and for a moment, I couldn't think straight. "Oh my god!"

"Miley..." Joe began.

"Dude, are you serious? Your brother's ex? That's gross!" I scrunched up my nose in a disgusting manner, punching Joe in the arm playfully.

"Stop it." Joe stated with a laugh. "It wasn't intentionally, just sort of…"

"Happened?" I asked, frowning as he nodded. "Well that's just completely unfair. Sex happened last night and none of it was for me."

Joe let out another laugh. "Come on Miley, you just got a beat down."

"So… I wasn't asking him to stick it in my rib cage." I whined. Joe made a face at me. One of those "I really didn't need to picture that" faces. "Besides, remember when he was all broken up? That didn't stop him from getting it in with me!"

"You can understand his concern…" He finally stated after a moment.

I shrugged, changing the subject. Talking about my sex life with Joe was kind of, uh, awkward? Yes. Awkward. "God, I can't believe you had sex with Selena!" I stated with a laugh.

"Don't say anything… got it?" Joe asked. "All we need is for Buda to find out that we broke his rules…"

"Wait. You're more worried about how he'd react to his broken rule, than him reacting to you fucking his daughter?" I shook my head. "Or how Nick would react to you fucking his ex-girlfriend?" I wanted to talk more about it, but just as either one of us were about to playfully argue over the situation at hand, Nick and Buda came into the room with food. They set it all down on the table. "Where's Selena?" Buda asked Joe.

"Sleeping..." He replied, running his hands through his hair as he stood up from the bed and headed towards the door. "I'll go wake her up..."

Buda looked over at me a moment. The look in his eyes told me that he was going to scorn me for something, but no such words escaped his lips."How you feeling darling?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I'm a little sore, but I'll live."

When Joe and Selena made it in, we all sat and ate in silence. I'm not sure why no one was talking, but it was driving me insane. Just because we're running for our lives doesn't mean we can't at least have a decent conversation. When the food was gone, someone then decided to speak up.

"Miley, I want you to ride with me and Nick today." Buda began, "Joe and Selena, I want you to follow a few miles behind. Keep a look out for anything suspicious." He stood up and began clearing the table of the empty paper plates and to go boxes, "From now on, we're going to stay in hotels, motels, wherever there are a lot of people around. We don't want to give them another opportunity to sneak up on us again. They'll be less likely to ambush us in a crowded place." He headed out to the door. "Two hours."

Joe and Selena left the room to go and get their things packed up. I sat at the table and looked over at Nick. As he sat there, fiddling with his gun, I saw a Nick I hadn't seen in years. The 'Job' Nick. All of a sudden I began to realize just what was going on now. Just how things were always going to be for Nick and I. "Nick..." I began. "Do you think our life is always going to be like this?" I asked.

He looked up at me a moment, confused by my words. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… this. Always on the road. Always having that possibility that something will come along from your past and just fuck up our lives?" I paused. "I mean, are we ever going to be able to settle down? Have kids?" He lowered his head a moment and I heard him sigh.

"I don't know." He replied.

A loud sigh escaped from between my lips as I slouched further into my seat. "Nick, I need more than that."

"What do you want me to say, Miley?" He asked. "Promise that none of this will ever happen again? I can't."

"If you were any other guy, that simple fact alone would be enough to make me end this relationship. I love you so much, Nick, but its all starting to sink in now and I don't know if I can live with always having to look over my shoulder."

"So what do you want me to do?" Nick asked. "I can't change my past, Miley. And I'm trying so hard to change my life, but things like this- people I've hurt, they'll always be there. Someway, somehow. I wish I could tell you otherwise. I wish I could say that after this, we'll live the most peaceful life. That's we'll be able to raise our kids without a care in the world. I can't do that though, but I'm willing to try and make it work, I'm in this relationship with everything I am. Now I just need you to trust me, and do the same."

So maybe I'm in over my head, but if Nick believes so much in what we have, well… then maybe its all worth it. But maybe it isn't. It's kind of hard not to question your relationship, or your life, rather, when you live like this.

What do you think?

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><p><strong>I'm SO sorry for the long wait. Not only did I lose my muse for writing,<br>but my life has been sort of hectic so FF was the last thing on my mind.  
>I was thinking about taking a long break but I need to finish what I started.<br>But anyways~ thank you guys for the reviews. I _finally _reached the one hundred mark. =]**


	18. Chapter 18

It was quiet within the truck for a few hours or so before we came to a stop at a rundown gas station on the side of the road somewhere. The pain in my abdomen was no longer as sharp as before. It was hardly noticeable, to be honest. As I sat in the truck, Buda pumped gas and Nick and Joe went inside the small shop gather something to snack on. Selena stood behind us pumping gas into Joe's car for him.

"Miley, do you remember what I said to you the morning we left Buda?" Selena's father questioned me, his voice so nonchalant, it felt like a quiz.

I thought for a moment and nodded in his direction. "Well, yeah, you told this wouldn't be easy for me and Nick."

Buda nodded back at me. "Yes, but what else?" I thought for a moment. So much happened that day, it wasn't all that easy to pinpoint what exactly he was talking about. Buda sighed loudly, shaking his head at me and my hesitation to answer the question. "The story of Ricardo..."

Oh right. The story he told me about why he had to change his name. About the day he got both his partner, and the job killed. He told me that was the worst pain he has ever felt and still felt today. Now I remember. "You said you didn't want me to be that ache for Nick…" I stated softly, shifting my gaze towards my shaky hands.

He turned to me as the handle clicked on the gas pump and gave me a fatherly look. Something he couldn't help but do. "Miley, the poor guy is already feeling it and you're not even dead yet…" He said plainly.

I gave him a nod. I could tell Nick wasn't himself anymore. That because of me, he wasn't in the right frame of mind. "I asked him to leave me in the hospital. I told him to go without me…"

"So they could kill you?" Buda scoffed as I looked up at him. "Are you crazy? They were all over that hospital… looking for the perfect opportunity to finish the job. Nick knew if he didn't take you out of there, he would never see you again. He'd rather die himself then ever risk living without you." Buda paused a moment. "He's going to rebel against that, he'll close up on you and be cruel and cold. He's going to try and make you think he's done with you… So that when this is all said and done, He'll be able to leave you at peace so none of this ever happens again."

Great. Back to the old Nick. The 'never admit any feelings' Nick. What a joy. "Why are you telling me this? I mean, if that was true, why do you have to speak for him? He isn't a child, he can speak for himself." I questioned, tears building up in my eyes. I was thankful that he warned me but I was still curious as to why he cared so much.

"Because, Miley, Nick is like a son to me and I know him better than anyone. Even Joe. When I heard that Nick quit this life for a _woman_, I realized that Nick had found a better life. I was thankful, and happy. Despite the fact that Nick is one of the best to ever come out of this field, I knew he was destined for something more. And I don't want him to have to return to this hell of a life because he thinks its too much of a risk for you. I don't want him to give up."

"Believe me, its going to take a lot more than Nick being an asshole to get rid of me…" I stated with a smile, "Did he not tell you about the week he spent saving my life?"

Buda let out a laugh and nodded as the others walked back up to the truck.

"You guys sound like a bunch of school girls…" Joe stated as he headed back to his car.

I looked over at Nick as he searched through the bag of junk he just bought from the gas station. He tossed me a bag of Ranch flavored Doritos and a can of Vanilla Coke. I smiled slightly to myself. "You remembered…" I spoke softly to myself.

He must have heard me anyway cause he spoke soon after. "I remember everything."

"Right. How silly of me…" I stated bluntly as I rolled my eyes. And so it starts…

Everyone piled back up into their cars and we headed quickl back on to the road. The drive was once again quiet. I scooted over in my seat and opened my soda. I almost half expected what happened next to happen. Things like this always happen to me. The soda bubbled over the top and sprayed all over me. "Son of a bitch." I sighed heavily, hearing Nick snicker a little. Great not only was he being an ass, he was trying to be funny too. "Where's my bag?" I asked. Nick handed it to me from the front seat. I opened it shuffled through for some, not necessarily clean, but dry clothes. I tried to slip off my jeans and moaned slightly in pain. Bending forward was not a good idea.

"Nick, help her." Buda stated, Nick sighed slightly to himself as he climbed into the back of the cab with me. I rolled my eyes slightly. I wasn't disabled and I wasn't a child, I didn't need help. "Stop!" I commanded, pushing him away as he leaned over to help me. "I'm fine."

"Shut up!" Nick hissed as he yanked my jeans down. It was a swift movement, unexpected. I stared at him slightly. The forcefulness he used in both his words and his actions took me by surprise. Not even our most fierce nights of passion were as potent as what he had just done. He tossed the jeans into the front seat and grabbed the jeans from my hand. I watched him closely. I was as still as stone as he slipped them up to my thighs. He paused there allowing me to do the rest as he took a shirt out of my bag and moved slightly in front of me. I hadn't been able to wear a bra because the band applied too much pressure against my bruised ribs, so I assumed he moved to block Buda's sight. Not that Buda would dare look anyway.

I pulled my arms out of my shirt gently and pulled it up over my head, grabbing the shirt from Nick and slid it on quickly. He took the shirt I removed and threw it in the front seat with the jeans before turning back to me and staring for a moment. I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to say something witty and slightly ironic, but he refrained as he sat back on the seat. We stared at each other for the longest moment. He was staring at me with a slight hint of desire, and I was still trying to figure him out. That's the thing about Nick lately. He was so sporadic with his moods it was hard to tell what he was feeling or even thinking anymore. I waited another long moment, expecting him to turn the "old Nick" back on and return to the front of the truck, but his eyes never left mine.

"There's a hotel up ahead a few miles." Buda broke into our silence with his calm voice. "We're going to turn in for the night. I think it would be best to get Miley resting on a bed."

Nick finally looked away this time. He climbed back into the front seat and set the clothes of mine in the floor board. I still hadn't moved in my seat, still cemented against the side of the cab, still feeling the burning sensation in my stomach. But it was not painful, it was pleasing. Nick and I just had a moment and it was very clear and defined. The second he got me alone, I was a goner.

The hotel was just where Buda claimed it would be. A few miles back we had entered into a big city over the highway, and the hotel he spoke off was something much larger than I expected. We entered the very elegant hotel looking a little out of place. We were a big mess.

Buda went to get the rooms while we waiting in the lounge. I sat down in a chair carefully, not trying to bring too much attention to my condition as there were enough people around to notice. Selena sat in the chair next to me and leaned in. "How are you feeling?" She asked, I looked at her slightly shocked by her words. Not because she had asked, but because it sounds sincere.

"I'm fine, it just hurts a little when I bend." I replied.

She gave me a slight nod and then laughed lightly. "Ribs are a bitch." She stated, smiling a little more when I nodded in agreement. "So, Miley... I know that you and Joe are really close. Like the best of friends, so I'm pretty sure he's probably already blabbed about what happened between us…"

"Yeah, don't worry, Sel. My lips are sealed!" I stated.

She frowned slightly at me. "I wasn't going to ask you to keep it quiet, Miley."

The tone in her voice told me I had offended her and that it hurt. I looked up at her slightly again, smiling apologetically. This definitely wasn't the Selena I met only a few days ago. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way..."

"I just wanted you to know that I didn't do it as some kind of trick to drive a wedge between you and Nick." She replied, ignoring my apology. I wanted to tell her I didn't even think that, that it didn't even cross my mind, but she spoke again before I got the chance. "I know that you think I've been trying to tear you and Nick apart. I know I didn't try to make it seem like a lie. I really wanted you to believe that Nick still had feelings for me and that we might have been together while you were completely oblivious. But it wasn't because I still wanted Nick. I mean, I still love Nick, I always will, but its no longer at deep and as needed as before. I was trying to drive you away to keep you from getting hurt. To keep Nick from getting hurt. He really loves you." When she finished she took a deep breath.

Had she breathed at all that during this confession?

As I sat there and looked at Selena, all the hate I had for her seemed to go out the window, so to speak. Everything she said was genuine and I had no reason to believe anything else for one reason and one reason only. Because she sounded like her father. "It's okay, I forgive you."

"Selena? Miley?" Buda walked up to us, three sets of keys in his hand. He handed one to Nick, one to Joe and kept one in his hand. He turned to us slightly with a smile, then his attention was back to Nick and Joe. "You can fight over them." He stated dryly, huffing slightly under his breath.

Nick helped me stand and we began towards the elevator. I cringed slightly. I hated elevators. We walked in and Joe and Selena trailed closely behind. We road in silence, me in secret terror. Our rooms were on the second floor, so I breathed a sigh of relief when the elevator door opened not a minute later. I hurried out of the elevator and turned to wait for them to come out.

"Selena.." Nick called slightly, "Go help, Miley. I need to talk to Joe for a minute." He tossed her the key before him and Joe began making their way to the other room without as much as a word from either of us. I looked over at Selena, whose slight huff grabbed my attention. "Does that still get on your nerves?" She asked.

"All the damn time." I replied as she slid the key into the slot. "It produces a never ending cycle of arguments about how I'm grown and able to do whatever the hell I want."

"And then he starts in with the _I'm just looking out for what's best for you. I don't want you to do something you'll regret later." _Selena mocked him with almost absolute perfection as we sat down on the bed.

I laughed lightly with a nod, leaning back. "He means well, so I guess that's all that really matters."

"Can I ask you something?" Selena chimed. I looked over at her with a nod. "This girl, Ashley, she really hurt Joe didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did..."

"He seemed so sad; I was just trying to comfort him. Things got carried away." She sighed with a nod, "Now I feel almost worse. Like I was no better than she was..."

"Ashley broke up with Joe because of his relationship with me." I told her softly. "She says its because she can't handle wondering if he'll ever come home or not, but I know its because of how close we are. She thought there was something going on between us."

"Weren't you guys best friends? Why would she think you would do that?" Selena asked.

"Because she was always the 'other' girl in her relationships with men. She doesn't think anyone is completely faithful." I sighed, "She even told me once that just because Nick was too blind to see it doesn't mean she was too. Don't worry, you're nothing like her. Not at all."

Selena laughed slightly. "I just… I still want to be friends if we survive after all this. He's just a nice kid. Always was."

"Wel, don't worry; Joe is pretty mature about stuff like this… now a days anyway." I laughed lightly, watching as she nodded with a laugh as a knock came to the door. She answered it and Nick slid inside the room, handing her a key. She said a soft goodbye to me and left the room. Nick looked from her to me and then back to the door as it shut. He threw a suspicious look toward me. "Since when are you two playing nice?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Since now." I replied, crossing my legs on the bed while I focused on him, observing closely. "What did you need to talk to Joe about that was so secretive?"

"Never mind that, it isn't your business." He stated as he dug through his bag. I frowned at him, but let it go. It wasn't like it was the first time he kept stuff from me, and I was sure it wouldn't be the last. I rolled over in the bed with a soft sigh. Thank god the pain was just a dull ache now because I was extremely in the mood for some rest.

All I felt like doing was sleeping, but Nick had other ideas. His lips pressed into the flesh of my neck gently. I felt him move from one side to the other and a soft moan escaped my lips. "Joe?" I joked as I opened my eyes. "Oh, Nick, its you." I yawned slightly. The look on his face was not amused, but it passed quickly as he ran his fingers gently over my face. As nice as it was to feel Nick against me again, I was just too tired and too confused and upset with his actions to bother. "Stop, I need to sleep. A few hours tops." My words trailed off into another yawn and he frowned at me; clearly disappointed in my decision, but wasn't going to push it any further. I rolled back over as sleep quickly took me.

A few hours seemed to be about the right estimate, because that was how long I slept.

Concern washed over me as I woke to an empty bed. I sat up and looked around, listening to the sound of water running in the bathroom. I hopped out of comfortablt bed and headed for the door, smiling slightly to myself as I reached for the knob and twisted it, shoving the door open. What I was expecting to see was my Nick, standing there with the water dripping down his incredible body. But unfortunately that was not what I saw.

"Ew! Oh my god!" My hand flung to my face covering my eyes as I quickly left the bathroom. "Ohhh my god!" I managed to repeat, over and over. It was the only thing I could say. I heard the water stop and two pairs of feet stumble out of the bathroom quickly behind me.

"Miley!" Selena called to me.

I shook my head at her. No. No. No. I just didn't want to think about what I saw.

"Miley..." Joe's voice coaxed me to turn to him; I turned and saw the two of them standing there in towels still soaking from their intimate shower. "Please, just calm down!"

"W-Wha… Why are you guys here? In my shower? Doing… that." I frowned, disappointed and sgusted with the two of them. The first encounter was a little funny but not anymore. It was shameful. Selena was Nick's first love and his ex-girlfriend. Joe was his brother and Selena's ex-best friend. It was wrong.

"Nick and Buda had to do a run to get some things. He asked us to come keep an eye on you." Selena stated.

"Well, good looking out." I replied as I sat back down on the bed. "Put some clothes on, would you?" I whined as I laid back on the bed and put a pillow over my face. We sat there in an awkward silence for at least an hour, before the door opened and Nick came in. I hopped off the bed and rushed to him, jumping in his arms. I threw my arms around him and buried my head in his neck. He stumbled slightly under the surprise of my action and then laughed slightly.

"Oh Nick, thank god you're here. It was the most horrible thing I've ever seen. I'll never sleep well again!" I crooned.

"What did you guys do to her?" Nick asked.

"Nothing, she's just a little over dramatic!" Joe replied with a slight laugh before he and Selena left the room.

"What is it?" Nick asked, looking down to find me staring back up at him.

"Nothing, I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." Nick began, "Can I put you down now? You're not paper-weight."

Giggling softly, I hopped out of Nick's arms and noticed that he had a couple bags in his hands. "Where did you and Buda go?" I asked as I sat on the bed.

He set the bags in the chair and shrugged off his jacket. "To pick up a couple things for the road." He crawled up the bed to me and smiled.

"Like what?" I questioned.

"Like little things. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, deodorant..."

"Alright, I get it." I stated with a laugh. Nick pushed away from me slightly and went back to one of the bags. He riffled through it and pulled out a six pack of beer. I eyed him closely. "Do you know what today is?"

"Baby, I don't even know what day of the week it is." He turned to me with a smile and a slight laugh escaped his lips.

"Well, allow me to help.." I frowned, slightly disappointed with the fact that he forgot a date so dear to my heart. "Today, love, is Wednesday, December 7th. It's been three years and it feels like ten."

December 7th. The day Nick quit his job. The day Nick confessed his love for me. Our anniversary.

"You've lost it if you honestly think I didn't remember what today is." Nick climbed up next to me on the bed, he laid his hand over my chest and let his fingers circle around the bruise that was starting to fade. "So I've been thinking about what you said yesterday, at the hotel." He began; I laid my head on his chest. I almost ruined me and Nick with my babbling selfishness. Thanks for reminding me. "What about it?" I asked.

"Well, I realized that I've never really thought about our future." He stated softly.

I looked up at him. "Really?" The surprise and hurt must have flowed in my voice cause he winced slightly at me.

"Mi, that's not what I meant." He stated. "I just never thought about it the way you have. I'm sitting here just trying to make day by day, wondering how I even got a hold of such a wonderful woman." Now he was buttering me up. "But you, you're thinking about us being old together and living in a cute little house with grand kids running all over the place." He laughed lightly at what I assumed was the image he made up in his head. He was right though, I thought about stuff like that all the time. "I mean, you are all ready so sure that we're going to be together forever. I haven't been able to bring myself to that level yet." I swallowed hard in my throat.

"Why not?" I asked him gently. I felt him shrug.

"Because I keep thinking sooner or later you'll see how much better than me you can do."

"I wish..." I joked, pushing lightly at his shoulders while a smile crept across his lips.

"Can you really see yourself growing old and having kids with me?" He questioned.

I nodded. "Mhm, I just hope that we get to the kids before we grow old."

"Kids. That's something I can't begin to imagine." He paused. "I just never thought of myself that way. I mean, with the way I grew up, and then the life I've lived- well, still living... I'm not fit to be a father." He stated softly. "I don't want my kids to have to deal with their father running around, fighting for his life all the time. I actually want to be there for them. And with this life, I doubt that'll ever happen. We'll never be a stable family. They'll hate me for it."

I sat up and looked at him. "Nick, you know so much about so many things because of the way you lived your life. I think that's going to make you a great father."

He smiled at me gently before kissing my forehead. "I'm glad you think so, because there's nothing I want more than to give you everything you want. And as long as you believe in me, I have no problem do just that." Leave it to Nick to make me even more in love with him than before as if that was even possible. He moved my hair out of my face and leaned up to kiss me. His lips founds mine and he kissed me passionately. "Mary meat." He mumbled against my lips. Or at least, that's what I thought he said.

I pulled back slightly, a confused look plastered to my face. "What?" I asked with a laugh.

He eyed me a moment before speaking. "Marry me."

Can't... breathe... "W-W-What?" I stuttered.

"After all this is said and done, if we're still alive, I want you, Miley Ray Stewart, to marry me." He stated, smiling at me as he took my hands into his. "I want you to be my wife." He stared into my eyes and I stared into his, searching for sincerity. "I'm completely serious." His smile widened.

Holy fucking shit.

"Oh my god." I stated as he got up. He headed over to his duffel bag and riffled through it quickly, pulling out a little box before he came back and dropped on his knees, right in front of , he can't be serious... but he was. He opened the box and for a second, I couldn't breathe. The ring was beautiful. 14k white gold with open scroll work on the shoulders, a set of 3 beaded diamond accent stones on either side, with a heart-shaped 1.25 karat diamond in the center. "Where'd you get it?" I gasped, placing a hand over my chest, feeling my heart pound heavily. "It's beautiful..."

"I've had it for awhile now." He confessed softly. "I planned on asking you the night I left. I had just picked up the ring when Buda called me and told me about Lauren."

"You were going to propose to me?" I asked as the tears flooded my eyes.

"Better late than never." He smiled at me. "So, will you?"

I threw myself into his arms once again, and kissed him. "Yes!" I spoke against his lips. "Yes!… Yes!… Yes!…" Salty tears of happiness streamed down my cheeks, leaving wet trails as I watched him remove the ring from the box and slip it onto my ring finger on my left hand.

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><p><strong>This, my friends, is the end of this story. =] It's been a good run.<br>LOL just kidding, it's not over yet, I have other things in store for this.  
><strong>**SO~ what do you think about a Zombie Apocalypse story? It'll be Niley, of course.I don't think anyone else has done it, so. I think I will. ;o  
>ANYWAYS. Thank you for le reviews. Ciao until next time, lovelies. <strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I'm major sorry for the lack of updates on this story. My life is extremely hectic right now so I don't have much time to sit and do this as much as I used to, but I'm trying, for the sake of everyone who actually likes to read this. Sadly to say though, this story is almost over and I have the rest of the chapters written. So expect the next chapter by next Wednesday. Weekly updates!**

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><p>It's the wee early hours of the morning and I'm driving Nick's car down a very empty highway, following Buda's truck. Selena sat next to me in the passenger seat and it was a tad bit awkward, especially after the night before. And worst of all… I'm engaged... I'm not sure why Nick thought it an appropriate time to ask, but it wasn't like I could say no. Although, I was rather annoyed thinking back on how it all happened. I always imagined the day someone purposed to me would be something completely and utterly romantic, like a movie. Not in a hotel room on the run from a crazy asshole. But I guess beggers can't be choosers. Right?<p>

"Miley? Can we talk?" Selena grabbed my attention.

I sighed. "That depends rather you want to talk about this..." I showed her my ring, "Or about what happened in my hotel room shower last night."

She grimaced at me slightly, and she thought about it a moment. "Both, if you will." She stated.

"You told me it was an accident! That… the two of you... last night... That was SO not an accident!" I stated.

She nodded. " I know, Miley.. I know." She began. "I couldn't help myself. I told myself it was just once and that we shouldn't get caught up in each other. But being in that room, alone with him…" She paused and looked up at me with a smile. "I mean… you know, you've been there." She smirked slightly and I frowned at her.

"I still like to detest that event all together." I stated. But she was right. When Joe put on the charm, it was hard to resist. "Anyways, I understand."

"I'm not quite sure what to do now. I know this isn't good for us. Especially now, but if I went to my father and told him that me and Joe shouldn't share a room anymore, he'll know there's something going on. And I couldn't even think to ask Nick to trade me. I wouldn't want to deny you guys any of the time you have left." Selena's voice was full of confusion. She really didn't know what to do, and it was apparent that's something that doesn't happen often.

"Well, I could have Nick talk to Joe for you." I offered.

She looked up at me with a smirk. "You didn't even tell Nick." Selena stated.

I looked at her. "How do you know that?"

"Because I know Nick and he would have said something." Selena stated. She was right though, again. I didn't tell Nick and I really had no plan on telling him. Joe and Selena can have the privilege of doing that themselves.

"Okay, well, I can talk to Joe for you then." I stated. "I mean for the most part, he usually listens to my reasoning."

"Thanks." Selena stated and then I heard her soft sigh as she relaxed back into the seat. I felt her reach for my hand. "I can't believe he still had this after all this time." She spoke softly. I looked over at her.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Please, please tell me this isn't something he once tried to give her…

"This was Nick's mom's ring. He's had it since she died." Selena replied.

I sighed Selena just saved Nick's life… for now, at least. "His mom's? But Nick said he picked it up just a few months ago." I stated.

She looked up at me with a smile on her face. Her look was confusing. "He wore it around his neck the entire time I dated him, I'd know that ring anywhere. I assure you, it was his mother's." She replied.

I shook my head. "But why would he lie to me about it?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "Maybe it wasn't a lie. He could have taken it to get it sized or something." She offered.

"Why wouldn't he want to tell me it was his mom's?"

"Maybe he didn't think it mattered…" She stated with a sigh. "Nick is not exactly in touch with what would matter to a woman." I looked over at her. I could tell by the look on her face that she thought I was reading too much into it. But she could be right. Nick might not have thought it was important. Either way, now that it was out in the open, I had no choice but to question it or it would drive me mad.

"I'm sorry I brought it up." Selena stated.

I waved it off slightly as I retreated back into my thoughts. It was going to be a long, long day.

We stopped at a small trucker diner some odd miles down the road. I couldn't say I was all that hungry, but if Buda said eat, we ate. I stood, leaning against Nick's car as everyone piled into the diner. Nick noticed me not following and walked over to me. I looked up at him with a slightly smile.

"Mi? You alright?" He asked.

I shrugged slightly. "I'm not all that hungry." I replied.

He gave me a weird look. I'm not quite sure what it meant. "You don't have to eat, but you at least need to come inside with us." He replied as he motioned for me to go with them into the diner.

I was suddenly annoyed. After all this time, how could he not know there was something more? How could he not know that this wasn't about eating? "Nick…" I called to him.

He turned and looked at me. "Whatever it is, we can talk about it later… Just come in and pretend like everything is hunky dory for now. Please?" He questioned.

I grimaced slightly, but went inside with him as he requested. We piled into a corner booth and waited for a waitress to come. I looked around the table quickly. Nick sat on my right and Joe sat on me left. Next to him was Selena and then Buda on the other end. We were quite dirty looking, dressed in clothes we haven't been able to wash for a week and I would assume we were not pleasant to look at. I couldn't imagine we looked very friendly either. The waitress walked up to us with an uneasy, but friendly smile. I guess she figured as much as I did.

"Hi. My names Mary." The waitress said softly.

"Hello Mary, hope you're having a well day." Buda looked up at her with a polite smile. Buda was never rude, or at least, I have yet to see him that way. Mary's smile softened and she pulled out her tablet.

"What can I get you all?" She asked.

"Cheeseburgers?" Buda asked us. Everyone mumbled a low "sure" or "okay" except for me, of course. "Actually, Buda, I'm not all that hungry, can I have just a salad or something?" I asked.

The young girl smiled with a nod, jotting down the order on a notepad. "Yes, of course." Scanning through the notepad to confirm, she began reading off of it. "Four burgers with fries and a salad. Correct? and what would you like to drink with that?" She questioned.

"Coffee."

"Coffee."

"Coffee."

"Coffee."

Glancing at everyone, I shook my head slightly. To say I felt like the odd ball out of all them was an understatement. "May I please have water?"

"Sure, I'll be right out with your order." Mary smiled and hurried away.

"So…" Buda began, I looked up at him waiting to hear what he was going to say when I realized his was talking to me anyway. "How do you feel?"

"Better. Its just dull ache every now and then." I replied. He nodded slightly, but gave me a look that said 'not what I was talking about' and for a short moment, I was confused. And then it hit me. "Oh… you mean… this?" I half asked as I looked down at the ring. It really was the most gorgeous ring I had ever seen. I took a moment to just stare at it as I thought about what Selena has said about it being his mother's. I looked up at Nick as I felt him rest his hand on my leg gently. I was suddenly annoyed again. It was the perfect opportunity for him to either prove or falsify Selena's claim and yet, there he sat, still so quiet and still so oblivious.

The waitress brought us our food and everyone all went about eating like they hadn't done so in years. I sat back, with a sudden loss of appetite. When the fast food feast was over with, everyone piled out to the cars while Buda went to pay the bill. He stopped my on my way out, asking if we could have a moment. I felt a very insightful lecture coming on…

"You never answered my question." He spoke bluntly.

"No, I guess I didn't." I replied, looking up at him.

"Does that mean you don't want to talk about it, or that you didn't want to talk about it in front of Nick?" He questioned me.

I debated the question. "Depends on what you really wanted to know."

"Do you want to marry him?" I nodded. "But did you mean it?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

He gave me a look as he handed the lady at the register some cash. "If we weren't in this situation, and you and Nick were sitting at home on a random evening and he looked at you in that way that he always looks at you and said, 'Will you marry me?' Would you have said yes then?"

For a moment, I didn't understand his question. If I was saying yes now, why wouldn't I say yes then? I looked up at Buda slight bewilderment on my face. "What are you trying to say Buda?" I asked him flat out. I hate when he talks around the things he actually wants to ask.

"Would you have said yes, if there wasn't a possibility that Nick was going to die?" There it was, finally, the true point of this conversation.

"Uh... I'm not sure… I would hope I would." I stated as honestly as I could. It was the truth. I wasn't sure how it would have gone any other way if Nick wasn't running for his life. "But if what you really want to know is if I said yes because he could die, then no… I said yes because I love him, and the three months I spent without him were the worst days, minutes… seconds of my life and I never, ever want to feel that way again."

Buda gave me a nod and leaned in and kissed my forehead. "Let's head out."

"I'm going to go to the bathroom first." I stated, He gave me a nod in approval as he went out the door. I headed to the other end of the diner to the restroom and pushed over the door slightly. The lights were off and it was completely pitch black in there. I ran my hand along the wall, looking for a switch. When I found it, I flicked it up but nothing happened. How irritating. You think that a diner like this one would have working switches. I pulled open the door and came face to face with a tall, blonde male. I jumped at the sudden appearance of him.

"You scared me." I stated, but he didn't speak. He just stood there, staring at me, with the oddest look on his face. "Well, excuse me." I stated as I tried to push past him, but he refused to move. What's with everyone? So aggravating. "I said excuse me. Now, MOVE." I repeated.

This time his lips moved into a curious smile and suddenly something felt wrong. "Miley Stewart, I presume?" He asked.

Fuck. Shoving him to the side, I ran for the front of the diner. I looked back toward him to see if he was following, when my feet tripped over something laying in the walk way. I hit the concrete flooring with a very painful thud. I turn to see what was lying on the floor and a horrified gasp escaped my lips. Mary. Two bullet wounds to the chest and covered in blood. But there's no way, I would have heard the shots...

Suddenly, a commotion up roared from outside and I hurried to my feet to see. I saw Selena, Joe and Buda thrown over the hood of a car, hands bound behind them. There was a small group of men to the right. Maybe 6, standing around in a uneven circle, guns in hand. Inside the circle… Nick. Of course.

"Nick!" I rushed over to him, pushing the men aside. "Nick?" I called his name as I lifted his head to look at me. Blood dripped down from his nose and lip and I could see the swelling starting around his eye.

"Ponga los tres amigos en el coche, pero no los matas. Voy a hablar a estas dos solos." (_Put the three friends in the car, but do not kill them. I'll talk to these two alone._) I looked up to the voice and saw the man that was standing at the bathroom with me. Turning back to Nick, his face said everything I needed to know.

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><p><strong>Remember to check back on Wednesday, that's the next time I'll be updating.<br>or maybe I'll update before then, who knows? Review; let me know your thoughts! **


	20. Chapter 20

"Well, Nick. I must say, it's been hell trying to catch up with you." His voice was insane in the sense that there was no emotion to it, it was impassive. The same went for his worn out and run down face. He looked to me and smiled; the emptiest smile I have ever seen within my life. "And you… I've been dying to meet you, Miss Stewart. My, my, my. I heard my boys roughed you up quite a bit. I must apologize, that was rather rude of them." He turned a bit back toward Nick and smirked. "Nicholas, old friend, why don't you introduce me officially?" He questioned. Nick lifted his head once more and spit in his face. The man wiped his face with a slight laugh. " Fine…" He turned to me and extended his hand. "Allow me."

I knew it was coming. I did all the deductions in my head. There was no one else it could be, but as soon as the name escaped his lips, it hit me like a ton of bricks. "I'm Lauren." He grimaced as I fell to my bottom on the ground as my hands still clung to Nick. How could this happen? How did they have time to catch up with us? "Well?" Lauren's hand was still extended toward me.

I was appalled at the thought of him trying to be polite in this situation, so much so I couldn't control my mouth at a time when I knew this wasn't a time for mouth. "Go to hell…" I stated.

Lauren looked at me with a smile. "Well, what a little spit fire you have here." He looked at Nick. "This is going to be a lot more fun than I thought it would be." He smiled at me wickedly, "Alright boys, get them in the van." Lauren ordered.

I'm not sure what came over me in those last seconds between his words and the moment the first man stepped toward me, but I seemed to embody the ninja skills of Alice from the Resident Evil flicks. I stood quickly as the first guy came at us. I grabbed his arm, wrenching it around and kicked him hard in the stomach. As he flew backwards and onto the ground, I swung around and punched the other one in the face. A right and then a left. He backed up, surprised by my actions as another came up and grabbed my arm from behind. I threw my elbow back and felt his nose crack against it. I mule kicked him in between his legs and heard him hit the ground with a moan.

"ENOUGH!" Lauren's booming voice grabbed my attention and I turned to him. Terror engulfed my entire body as I saw him holding a gun to Nick's head. At a moment, where he should be petrified, all I could see was a smile on Nick's face. "Unless you want me to put a bullet in his head right now, I suggest you co-operate!" He stated. His goons grabbed me then, slapping cuffs around my wrist quickly. I looked up at the one on my left. His nose was bleeding. He must have been the one I elbowed. At the thought of it, I suddenly felt the pain in my elbow throbbing. I looked back over at Nick as Lauren pulled him up off the ground. They dragged us to the van and threw us in. I fell hard against the van floor, smacking my face against someone's shoe.

"Miley?" A voice cried. "Are you okay?"

It was definitely Selena. I tried my best to sit up, but I couldn't use my stomach muscle to do so. They still hurt too bad. I felt something on my shoulder and then teeth bite down into my shirt. They pulled me up with a grunt and I realized it was Nick. "Are you alright, baby?" He asked.

"I'm fine." I replied with a sigh as I leaned my body against him. "As fine as I can be I guess." I grunted slightly as I tried to wiggle my hands from the cuffs. "I shouldn't have reacted like that… I'm an idiot."

"No, Miley, you did great." Nick stated as he leaned in an awkward position to kiss my cheek. "Pretty bad ass, if you ask me."

"How did they find us so quickly?" I asked as I looked up at Buda.

"They probably didn't stop for a rest last night…" Buda replied with a sigh.

Great. If there wasn't so many of us, then we wouldn't need rest. If I wasn't so persistent to go with Joe to find Nick, there wouldn't have been so many of us. If Nick hadn't come back, I wouldn't have needed to go with Joe and we wouldn't be in this situation. If I wasn't so in love with this man, I wouldn't have cared enough to risk my life and involve myself in such madness. "This is my fault.." I sighed. "I should have never come. I'm sorry."

"Baby…" Nick began. I shook my head as my emotions got the best of me.

"No, Nick… I shouldn't have insisted to go with Joe to find you." I cried. "If I hadn't of come, you would have never had to leave Buda's house, we would never have gotten hurt, and they would have never found you! All I did was slow us down."

"Miley, this is so not your fault." Joe stated, attempting to make me feel better.

I shook my head again. "If I wasn't here, now, Nick would have never needed the time alone with me and they wouldn't have caught us like this." I suppose during my hysterical rant, I didn't notice that Joe loosened the rope that bounded his hands and had quickly untied Nick and Buda. Nick's arms wormed around me and he pressed his lips into my temple.

"We're going to get through this, I promise." He whispered softly in my ears. I nodded gently and felt his hand reach for my hands. I heard a grumble I couldn't quite comprehend escape his lips as he realized my bounds were not rope.

"Can you get your hands in front of you?" Buda asked me.

I looked up at him. I had always been rather flexible but I wasn't so sure about that. "I could try." I replied, "Help me up." Buda and Nick pulled me up off the floor of the van. I bent forward as much as I could and stretched my arms out slide over my bottom. As the pain shot through the muscles in my arms, I pulled my hands down over my bottom and to the back of my knees. I bent down and then sat as I pulled each of my legs through my looped arms. Nick quickly helped me back to my feet.

"Are you alright?" He questioned.

I gave him a nod, wondering why on earth he was so concerned about me. The man we were trying to save him from had us all in a armored car and had nothing but bad things planned for Nick. So why was he looking out for me, when he was supposed to be looking out for himself?

Shaking the thought out of my head, I looked to the sliding window that lead to the front seat of the vehicle curiously. They had to have heard us moving around in here, this seemed a little easier than it should have been. It was then that I realized that I wasn't even sure what was going on. "What are we doing?" I asked out, looking for any answer, from anyone.

"I know Lauren. Everything is an eye for an eye with him." Nick began, "He won't hurt any of you anymore than he needs to in order to keep you from helping me." I noticed that he was only speaking to Buda, Joe and Selena and I panicked slightly.

"What about me?"

He sighed. "Lauren blames me for him losing his job, ruining his life and losing the love of his life…" he paused his words.

An eye for an eye.

Or in this case, a fiancé for a fiancé. I was certain now that Lauren had plans for me and Nick and they weren't going to be pretty.

"What do we do?" I asked.

"When they let us out of here, I want you to run." He looked at me.

"What? Run?"

"We'll keep as many of them distracted as possible. Selena will go with you."

"Nick! No!" I exclaimed, "I'm not going anywhere without you."

"It's the best way to keep you safe."

"Keep _ME_ safe? Nick, he's after _YOU_. He's gonna kill you if I let him. So I' not going; I'm not going to let that happen to you!" I shouted.

Nick sighed once again, fisting his hand through the mess of curls on his head. "Mi, you have to. It's not a question, it's a demand." He whispered. "I won't let you lose your life over me. So when we get out of the car, Joe is going to put you over his shoulder and run."

I looked over at Joe, who was now giving a confused look to Nick, as if he had no idea what he was even talking about. Shrugging casually, he nodded his head and looked down. I sighed. Why wasn't Nick listening to me? Why was he so intent on sending me away? Why couldn't he just understand that I refused to willingly leave? Looking over at the engagement ring on my finger, I twisted it slightly before slipping it off of my finger and grasping it tightly in hands. Taking a deep breath, I placed it in the palm of Nick's hand. "Here."

"What's- Oh..." Observing the ring in his hand, he did his best to hide any emotions overcoming him. He simply placed the ring into his pocket and tried to forget what was happening.

Before I could explain why I'd given him the ring back, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop and I fell back into the wall with a loud thud. Joe grabbed me and pulled me back up to my feet, but he didn't let go. Was he really planning on running off with me?

"Let me go." I pulled away from him, rolling my eyes.

"Jesus, Mi, would you just stop for a damn minute and cooperate for one time in your life?" He spat bitterly at me.

I looked up at him. Joe never snapped at me. Ever. This could only mean on thing; that they know something I didn't. Opening my mouth to respond, the doors opened and a bright light flooded in. I shut my eyes tightly as I felt Joe's hand tightened around my arm. I squirmed slightly.

"C'mon, it's time for all of you to get out!" A feminine voice screamed.

My head shot up at the voice. It was very familiar but there was no way...

"Come on, move it, people! We don't have all day!"

The voice came again as we started out of the back of the van. Nick hopped down onto the ground and reached up for me. Joe let me go and I leaped out of the back, almost falling on my face. I felt two sets of hands on me. Joe's and Nick's. But their grip was not for the sake of my balance but of restraint. I looked up at them slightly, confused by their actions, but that was until that voice spoke again. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Miley."

I looked up and saw her face. The face of the girl that sat and smiled at me for the last four years of my life; the face that pretended to be my friend; the face who intentionally broke my best friend's heart; the face of a jealous female; and the face of pure evil. "Ashley?"

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><p><strong>Lauren caught up with the group. Miley took off the engagement ring. Ashley is back. Joe is considering leaving his brother.<br>If that isn't enough drama for you, then honestly, what is? ^_^  
><strong>**Praise me for updating on Wednesday, like I promised! Woooo. :) Reviews would be appreciated!  
><strong>**Btw, I have a new story called 'Robot' and it's Nick x Miley so check it out. You'll like it. :) **


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: It is totally, terribly ridiculously okay for you all to hate me with complete passion for abandoning this story. I promised I finish and though I took a long hiatus, I'm going to finish. I refuse to delete this. ;-; And what better way then to surprise you guys with this update? I don't remember much so I'm going to do the best that I can to wrap this up. I'll also being doing one-shots. One, in particular, for wedding bells.

As for Robot, however, I will be discontinuing that. :-[ Sorry, bbys.

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><p>I watched in utter disgust as Lauren leisurely walked over and grabbed Ashley around the waist, leaning in, and kissing her gently on the forehead. To also add in that I was completely confused would be a extreme understatement.<p>

"You evil bitch…" The words incoherently escaped my mouth, and she looked over at me; an evident frown plastered across her face as though she were disappointed in me or something.

"Come now, honey. Is that the way you talk to your best friend?" She inquired of me, a stupid smirk replacing that damned fake frown.

All these questions were running through my mind. When? Where? How? And most importantly: why? Why me? Why us? Why now?

"God, I- I don't understand." My exhausted voice seemed to bring another smile to her face.

"Okay, baby doll, let me try to clarify things a bit." She ran the dainty palm of her hands over my cheek, "I know that things haven't been so easy on you this last week." She tapped my cheek slightly, but enough to send a sudden anger through me. "You see, after a year of that on and off again crap with Joey here, I was beginning to feel a little… under-appreciated Joe wasn't giving me enough of his attention or his love, because he was so busy giving it out to the both of you." She gestured to me and Nick. "He always put me on the back burner and frankly, I'm worth more than that." She shot an angry glare in Joe's direction and I felt the need to defend him.

"Excuse me? Joe was nothing be great to you and you know that!" I spat. "You didn't deserve him anyways. You never did! You're a selfish bitch, Ashley! Selfish, stupid, manipulative, jealous-"

Interrupted by her squeaky laugh, Ashley stood straight up. "You always did have a soft spot for Joe, didn't you?" She questioned, "I always knew there was something going on between the two of you. I believe Nicholas knew also. Poor guy, just didn't want to see the clear picture. I know the feeling."

Here we go.

"If you knew Joe and Miley nearly half as well as you think you do, then you would know that's a god damn lie!" Nick argued defensively, though Ashley just turned away from us, toward Lauren who stood a little ways behind her. Waiting for his opportunity to have his words heard as well.

"About 5 months ago, I met this guy at a restaurant down town while I was waiting on Joe, who was late again, as always. He was kind and charming and when he offered me the chance of a life time, I couldn't refuse."

"Oh, yeah… and what was that?" Joe snipped.

"An infinite amount of money for sex?" I chimed in. "A life of luxury in return for sharing his STDs? A car? A house? Seriously, what?"

She turned to Joe and I with a smile. "To make you're lives a living hell, of course." Her smile widened. "I had grown so tired of it always being Joe, Nicholas and Miley. I was tired of there never being room for me in your seemingly non problematic lives. I was tired of being the only miserable one in the equation. I wanted you to be as miserable as you made me!" She spat bitterly, as I looked up at her.

"You do realize, that you've pretty much thrown us to the dogs here Ashley. Right? Is what he offered really worth killing us all?" I asked.

She looked at us a moment and then at Lauren as she gently caressed his cheek. "Indeed, and I don't regret a damn thing." She stated simply.

What a bitch.

"But you see, my dear Miley," Lauren began, "You jump too soon. We're not just going to off you. What would be the fun in that? After all, this is all really about making Nick pay for what he had done to me. We're all here to see Nick suffer like the backstabbing bastard that his is and we're going to do it, using you and Joe. The two people who mean the world to him." He stood and motioned for two of his goons. They came over and picked me up off the ground, whilst Lauren leaned in close to me, though far enough to keep from being affected by my thrashing legs. "We're going to start with you!"

"No!" I heard Nick shout, followed by a grunt. I turned to seem him tumbled over on the ground, holding his stomach.

"Don't be over dramatic Nicholas! I'm just going to have a little fun with her!" Lauren stated with a smile. They then dragged us back behind a house into a wide open dry land. It looked rather desert like, but we were too far mid-west for that, so I assumed it was dried up farm land or something along those lines. They pulled me out further as a circle began to form a large radius around me. I looked around at all of them as I felt one of Lauren's thugs unlocking my handcuffs. He backed away slowly as I began to rub out the pain in my wrist. Those handcuffs were pretty damn tight.

Adverting my gaze upwards, I spotted Lauren and Ashley move in front of me. I glowered at them both for a moment. If they were going to torture me, which I assumed they were, then I wished they would just get it over with.

"It seems that your little woman here has a knack for defending herself." Lauren stated loud enough so that Nick could hear. "So, we're going to see just how good at that she is."

I looked at Nick, who wasn't so far away, with a weary look. I only know how to do little things. Such as, disarming someone, catching someone off guard and I was really good with aim when it came to shooting someone. But that whole She-Man act earlier was pretty much just a fluke.

This was not going to go well.

"Miley, dear, there are six men standing around you. Not counting myself and those three over there." Lauren stated as he gestured to the men keeping hold of Nick, Joe and Buda. I looked over at them and saw worried and concerned looks on their faces. I can't say that was too reassuring. But there was something not right about it all.

Where was Selena?

"I want you to take them out, one by one." Lauren finished his sentence with a devilish grin.

"Take them out?" I questioned. I had an Idea what that meant, but I was hoping I was wrong.

"Yes… Kill them."

I shook my head. "I can't. I won't!"

"I'll tell you what, if you do as I ask, I'll let all of you go."

"I don't believe you!" I replied.

He laughed lightly. "Well you don't really have a choice now do you?" Lauren asked, as he motioned for one of the men. They began making their way toward me. "It's a kill or be killed kind of world here, Stewart."

"You stay away from her!" I heard Nick shout once more, though at this point, he was powerless.

"Shut him up!" Lauren hissed and I heard a grunt from behind me. I glanced over and saw Nick tumbled over on the ground. Next, I was suddenly yanked backwards by my hair and I stumbled over and onto the ground as well. I looked up and saw the man standing over me. An amused smile on his face.

"It hardly seems fair to beat on something so small and fragile." He stated in Lauren's direction.

"Humor me!" Lauren replied. The man nodded and grabbed me by the hair once more, lifting me clear off the ground. I grabbed a hold of his arm to maintain some sturdiness. But, my efforts were lost when I felt the back of his rough hand slid across my face. I fell over my feet and back on to the ground.

God, give me strength here. That hurt.

I stood back up bringing my hand to my mouth. I tasted the fresh blood as it dripped from my lower lip. I didn't have long to even comprehend what to do before the man slapped me hard across the face again. The pain shot through my face like fire and for a moment, I couldn't really see anything. I looked up from the ground and saw the angry look in Nick's eyes.

This couldn't be going over well with him. Seeing me get beat up like this in the name of the things he did in the past. I could almost guarantee you if we made it out of this alive, he'll never stop apologizing. But at the moment, that was a very big if…

"Miley, darling, you're starting to bore me!" Lauren called. I made a mental note to shoot him later. I pulled myself up off the ground, my back still facing the man with the iron slap. He grabbed my hair again.

I wish he'd quit doing that. Only pussies do that.

I grabbed his arm, twisting it around and kicked him clear in the gut. He stumbled back a few feet,. looking up at me as he shook out his arm. "Well I'll be damned. You have a little spunk in you after all!" He stated with a smile. The man started at me once more, however, I quickly shifted out of his way. I took my foot and kicked hard into the back of his knee. He fell to ground quickly and with one hand on the crown of his head, and the other gripping his chin, I twisted as hard as I could. As his limp and lifeless body hit the ground at my feet, it took me a moment to register what had just happened.

I just killed someone.

I brought my now trembling hands to my face and for a moment I couldn't breathe. I couldn't. Not at all. I'd taken someone's life. A funeral would have to be arranged, the cops would be after me. His family- they would hate me. I murdered someone's son, someone's friend, someone's brother, someone's cousin. Someone- important to another person.

"MILEY!" A voice broke through my train of though. "Miley! Miley!" Buda. I shifted my glance in his direction. "Honey, its alright. Okay?

I shook my head and looked away from him. How can this be okay? How can this heinous act be justified when I just took someone's life? A life I had no right to take in the first place?

"Mi, baby…" I heard Nick's voice and almost immediately looked up at him. "It's alright. You had no choice, it was him or you." I nodded gently in his direction and not a moment too soon, I heard Lauren bark out another order.

"Casey…" he gestured to another man. I looked up as he began closer to me.

It was then I realized that Lauren had only just begun his little game.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it. x<strong>

**Again, I'm so sorry.**

**For updates: Twitter - xjustbreathe**


	22. Chapter 22

Have you ever been punched in the face?

Or how about kicked in the gut?

Well I have, and let me tell you, it really fucking sucks.

Casey was a lot stronger and faster than the first douche bag and as I hit the ground, clutching my stomach, I really wished he would stop hitting me. With the blunt force of two vehicles crashing head on, his foot collided with my stomach and I heard a slight cracking sound. I tumbled over screaming out in pain upon being hit with the realization that he may have just broken a rib. I could hear Nick screaming in the background, but his voice was faint as my surroundings darkened.

I'm not even sure how long I was out, but when I awakened, the sky had darkened just a little and bright lights were set up all around the make shift circle. I tried my best to sit up, but the pain was too much to bare. I gasped as I lay back down on the ground. Not too soon later, I saw Lauren standing over me.

"It's about time you woke up Sleeping Beauty, we were beginning to think you were dead." Lauren began. I looked around for the man who had done this too me, but with such horrid vision, I failed to see. "I'm not ready to kill you yet, Stewart, and since Casey was so… insensitive to my request, I had to take it upon myself." He motioned next to me. I looked over and saw Casey laying face down on the ground, a large wound in his head. I rolled away from him quickly. "Is it possible that you can stand?" Lauren asked me.

I looked up at him. "My ribs are broken, I can barely fucking breathe and you want to know if I can stand, you good for nothing prick?!" I spat, rolling my eyes as he laughed lightly. "Well, my dear, if you can't continue to entertain me then I guess, I'll just have to kill you now."

I was suddenly annoyed with all Lauren's dramatics.

I wonder if this was how Nick felt when I over reacted to everything?

"You know…" I sucked in as I pulled myself up off the ground, "Nick didn't kill your girlfriend, and he certainly didn't let his friends beat the shit out of her. He just fucked her when you couldn't, alright? So what's all this really about? Because the way I see it, the only revenge you really needed was to just fuck me." I bent over slightly in pain. Lauren laughed as he walked around me, stopping in between me and Nick. I looked up at him again. "But nooooo, you're a crazy psycho who thinks in order to solve his problems he has to kidnap and kill five people."

"I hope you know, Miley, the more you talk the more I feel like putting a bullet in your brain!" Lauren seethed as he held the gun in his hand to my head. I should have been petrified. I mean at any moment, this man could pull the trigger and I would no longer exist, but I knew something he didn't. He didn't know that Selena was positioned behind the men holding guns to Buda, Joe and Nick's heads. He didn't see the large lead pipe in her hands.

"What would be the fun in that?" I asked. Lauren glared at me slightly. I smiled up at him.

"You might have a point." He stated.

"And to be fair… I think you owe me a little more info on why your kicking my ass, because let's face it this really isn't all about a girl." I offered.

"Fine. If that's what you want." Lauren put his gun away and turned to his goons. "Don't just stand there, get the lady a chair!" He shouted. I'm not sure what this hot n cold politeness was about, but whatever, at least I got to sit down. The goons brought me a chair and I sat down carefully. I looked over at Nick to make sure he was still okay. His lip was bleeding and the look on his face was past angry but at least he was still alive. I glanced quickly to Buda and Joe and they appeared to be well. I looked behind them toward Selena, but she was no longer standing there.

What is that girl doing?

Whatever it was, I assumed she had it under control and I decided not to dwell on it too much. I was still very much amazed that no one seemed to notice she was gone.

"Nick and I were assigned to special cases often. I knew these roads better than anyone, and Nick was the best with a gun, and even better with his fists. So when the step daughter of very respected mayor was kidnapped by the child's biological father, it was considered a sensitive case and of course, with us being the best, we were assigned to hunt down the two and bring the girl safely back to her mother and step father. It took us maybe a few days the find the bastard hiding out in some flea bag motel in the middle of Kansas. Nick, being the over achieving hero that he is, decided he was slick enough to sneak in and take the little girl while her father stepped out to the diner across the street. The girls father was, however, exceptional at making explosive devices and the second Nick snuck in through the window, a timer was set. I had no choice was to try and disarm it before all of us were killed. Unfortunately, the second I tried a tamper mechanism sounded and the bomb was set for ten seconds. Barely enough time for Nick to get the girl out of the room before the entire room blew to the sky. As I assume you know, I didn't have the time to get out, and I was blasted into the far wall, resulting in a concussion, a broken leg and hand." He paused as he looked down at his left hand. I couldn't help but glance at it too. It was the first time I noticed the burn scars and well as the surgery scars from what I assumed was to fix extensive damage. "For almost a year after my accident, all I heard about was how Nick was a hero. How Nick saved that little girl and it irked me to the core to know that he was out there sucking up all the glory while I was lying in a hospital going through surgery after surgery. If I hadn't been in that room, Nick and that little girl wouldn't be alive right now. I literally sacrificed my life to help the both of them keep theirs, but did I get any gratitude? And then when I heard about what he had done with Elizabeth while I laid in a comma the first few months of my recovery, I knew I had to do something. You see, Miley. You were right. You're not here because Nick fucked my fiancé. You're hear because of Nick's egotistical, glory hungry self, made an enemy out of a very tired and fed up man." He stated. I snickered slightly.

"More like bitter and self righteous…" I stated. He glared down at me slightly. "I mean sure, Nick probably shouldn't have rushed in there, and sure Nick shouldn't have taken all the credit and he definitely shouldn't have slept with your girl, but who the hell are you to decide that those mistakes are worth enough to condemn him?"

"Right now?" He stated as he took out his gun again, "I'm God and what I say goes… and you're about two words from getting a bullet in your mouth!" He hissed as he placed the gun under my chin.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Selena again. She smiled at me slightly as she pulled back the pipe and took and hard swing, colliding with the head of the man holding her father. The man hit the ground with a thud, distracting Lauren. I grabbed hold of the gun and quickly twisted his hand and kicked him hard in the gut. His hand released the gun as he fell back to the ground. I stood and pointed the gun in Nick and Joe's direction. I pulled the trigger quickly, shooting each man holding them in the shoulder in a matter of seconds. I rushed over to them, as Selena helped Buda up.

"Are you guys okay?" I forced out through my pain and inability to breathe. Nick's hands cupped my face.

"Are _you_ okay?" He asked. I nodded.

"I'll live."

"Guys!" Joe stood and handed Nick one of the man's guns. I stood and turned as the rest of the men that were standing around us suddenly realized what had just happened and were after us in the instant.

"Selena, get her out of here!" Buda shouted. Selena grabbed my arm and began dragging me back to the armored car. I heard the sound of gunfire begin to fill the silent night.

"Sel, go help them, I'll be fine!" I stated breathlessly. She gave me a weary look. "Just go!" She rushed back and I tried my best to catch my breath, but it didn't seem to want to be caught. I heard footsteps approaching behind me. I turned quickly raising the gun up and saw Ashley standing in front of me. The gun pointed straight in the middle of her head. She smiled at me slightly.

"What are you going to do? Shoot me." She stated. I smiled at her slightly.

"I couldn't shoot you Ash, no matter how much I wanted to." I stated and then hit her upside the handle of the gun. She fell to the ground instantly. "Stupid bitch." I stated as the gun fire suddenly stopped. I stepped over Ashley's body and headed back over. I saw the sides divided into two. Us and them. Lauren stood a few feet in front of his goons and Nick was stepped forward as well, both of them holding guns up in each other's direction.

"I don't want to kill you Lauren!" I heard Nick call.

"That's a shame because I'm dying to kill you!" Lauren called.

"The police are on their way Lauren, you might as well just give it up!" Buda called as I grabbed on to Joe for leverage. He looked down at me with concern.

"Miley, why didn't you stay over there?" He asked in a whisper.

"I didn't hear any more gun shots; I was concerned on how it was going." I stated.

"You should go." Joe stated.

The sounds of sirens began to fill the air as we saw lights in the distance.

Thank god this was almost over.

The cops pulled up just as quick as the sirens had sounded and the cops popped out of the cars with their guns drawn. Nick and Lauren still stood, pointing guns at each other.

"All right. Everyone drop your guns now!" One of the cops shouted. All of us, except Nick and Lauren threw our guns to the ground. The sound of steel hitting the hard dry surface was almost ridiculous.

"Drop it Lauren, it's over!" Nick stated as he dropped his gun.

"Maybe for me but not for you!" Lauren stated with a smile. The sound of the gun shot sped through the air like a screaming banshee. The pain shooting through my stomach sent me sailing to the ground as more sun shots went off. I glanced up as I clutched my stomach to see Lauren hit the ground. But Nick, he was still standing. As I felt Joe and Buda's hands on me, the sudden pain began to make sense. I brought my hand up to my eyes as the red liquid slid down my hands. Lauren hadn't shot Nick, he shot me.

"Nick!" I called as the tears began to tease my eyes.

"Miley!" I heard Nick shout as he rushed over to me. "Miley?" The pain was almost numbing as Nick's hand pressed into the wound. "Get an ambulance out here!" I heard him shout.

"Nick… it hurts…" I stated softly. His hand caressed my cheek.

"I know baby. We're getting you help."

I couldn't tell you if it was the blood loss, or the pain, but my vision was starting the blur and my eyes got really heavy.

"I feel so... so tired..."

"No… no baby, look at me. You have to stay awake!" Nick stated. I heard the panic in his voice and I wanted to do as he said. I wanted to look at his beautiful face. I didn't want to go away. But I didn't have the strength to fight it.

"I love you, Nick." I stated softly. I felt him press his lips to mine gently, but I could bring myself to kiss him back.

"I love you, Miley." His voice faded in my ears and everything around me finally went black.


	23. Chapter 23, The Epilogue

_If you haven't read chapter 22, please read it before continuing. I just posted it today so these are both completely and 100% new._

This, my friends, is the last chapter of this story. It's been one or two years now but I'm so excited that this is being brought to an end, because it's the first story that I have ever finished and I promised you all that I would finish, no matter how long it took, and now here it is. The end to a story that still, to this day, brings me laughter and also brings me pain. No one probably reads FF on this site anymore but regardless, if any of you are still out there, thank you. Thank you for dealing with my disappearances, for my empty promises. You're amazing and although I may have disappointed you time and time again, I owed you this much. So, from **Nick's point of view**, enjoy.

* * *

><p>As a man, I have never been the most forth coming with my emotions.<p>

I have never been completely honest with the way I feel about certain things.

I have also never shared every aspect of my life with the one person I truly love because I was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle it.

And by the time I realized that she loved me more than anything in this world and that she would accept whatever it was that I had done, I realized that it was too late.

Almost five months ago, I was ready to settle down and start a family with the love of my life. Miley Ray Stewart. But unfortunately, someone very dangerous got in the way. An old colleague of mine from the job, who was harboring vengeful feelings toward me, spread word around that he was looking for me. I knew Lauren all too well. I knew how dangerous he was and how he was capable of almost anything. So I had to make the only decision I could to make sure that Miley was safe: I left.

I spent the following three months traveling the mid-west talking to anyone still in the job that I could. I needed to know exactly everything he had planned, and who was helping him. I would often sit and think about Miley and how she must be so heart broken and confused on why I left. I knew it was for the best, I knew that if I had stayed, something bad could have happened. It would have happened. And I - I didn't know what I would do if anything had ever happened to her. She was my life; my pride and joy. The reason I woke up in the morning.

When I received a call from Joe stating that he and his girlfriend Ashley were going to be coming in from Cancun the following day, he asked about Miley and I simply didn't have the heart or the time to explain why I wasn't with her, so I lied. But deep down I knew I needed to see her again. Just once.

But before I could make it out of my hotel room, I was attacked by a few of Lauren's goons. It didn't surprise me that they knew where to find me. Lauren was the greatest tracker in the world and with all the cases we worked together, it wouldn't be the least bit hard for him to guess where I'd be. I was able to escape the situation but not without a few broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. I knew I needed to find somewhere to hid out until I could come up with a plan and I knew exactly who to go to, but I needed to make a quick pit stop.

When I walked back into the apartment for the first time in months, I was over whelmed with her scent. It was late so it was likely that she was asleep. She must have heard me come in because she came into the room a few minute later.

To say she was mad at me for leaving without saying anything would be a major understatement.

To say she over reacted like she always did would be correct.

I cleaned myself up and joined her in her room. I tried my best to explain what was going on without making her apart of it, and when she realized that I would be leaving again and started to cry, my heart almost broke. And when she kissed me after so many days without a single touch, I couldn't control myself.

But in the end, I had no choice. I knew I still needed to leave.

I made my way to an old friend and mentor, Buda and his daughter, Selena. They were going to help me stay as invisible as possible. But that was soon up in smoke when Joe and Miley showed up at Buda's door. Both insisted on helping me. I didn't have a problem with Joe sticking around, but Mi... that was a problem. I didn't want her hurt. But she insisted on staying and I didn't have the heart to send her away. Not again.

We started our road trip across the mid west that following day until we came upon a closed camp where we set up to stay for the night. Unfortunately, we weren't the only ones in the area.

More of Lauren's goons found me and Mi in one of the cabins. They caught me off guard while Miley was in the bathroom. They tied me up and gagged me. When she stepped out to see what the noise was, one of them bashed her over the head with a lead pipe and then kicked her hard in the stomach as she tumbled to the ground. I fought to the best of my ability to help her as they dragged me out of the cabin. They threw me in the back of a trunk and began down the road. Not too soon after, I was pulled out of trunk by Joe. They told me that Selena took Mi to the hospital and that she was going to be okay, but we had to make a quick run for it. But I refused. I needed to see Miley; I needed to see that she was okay. I couldn't leave her, not again, not now when Lauren knows about her. I made them go back for her.

We broke her out of the hospital and started back on the run. We pit stopped at a crummy hotel so that Miley could get the rest she needed. But that morning before we left Miley asked me about our future. About if I thought about our life together, about growing old, about kids. She wanted me to tell her that there would never be another incident like this. That there were no more things in my past that would come along and try to break us. It broke my heart to tell her I couldn't promise her that.

Back on the road for another day of long traveling, and we stopped in at a nice hotel. Buda decided that if we were in a well crowded place that Lauren wouldn't make a scene. That night, after thinking all day about what Mi had said to me, I did what I planned to do the night I left her. I proposed to her and to my surprise, she said yes. But our little moment of happiness was shattered that next afternoon when Lauren finally caught up with us again.

He took us to a deserted location, where more of his goons were waiting. Along with a well known face. Miley's best friend, and Joe's ex, Ashley. After she stated her reason's for doing what she did, Lauren dragged up out into a dried up field and threw Miley in the middle. He was going to torture me, through her. He told her it was kill or be killed and let loose one of his goons on her. The mere thought of seeing her be put in a situation like this made me sick to my stomach and if we had survived, I would never forgive myself for what happened to her.

She fought back the best she could, before she finally snapped the man's neck. I was happy to see her survive but, I knew that taking that man's life changed her forever. Lauren commanded another man to go after her and this time she was no match for him. He literally beat the crap out of her and as I struggled to do something, anything, to help her. She fell to the ground in a agonizing heap and didn't get back up. I remember screaming obscenities and threats left and right. Lauren, to my surprise, also wasn't pleased with this man and shot him in the back of the head.

When Mi woke, I sighed in relief thanking god quietly to myself that she wasn't dead. She tried her best to appear as confident as she spat her sarcastic comments at Lauren, but I could tell she was in a lot of pain. She kept him talking long enough for Selena to cause a distraction. The guns came out and the stand off commenced, but in the end, it came to be in our favor. However, our freedom came at a price and my greatest fear came true.

Lauren shot Mi.

And when she passed away in the ambulance on the way to the nearest hospital, I didn't want to exist in that moment. My life as I once knew it was completely gone with her. She'd taken everything with her; my heart, my meaning, my essence and psyche. It was all taken with the death of the girl I vowed to one day marry. I would never get to wake up next to the most beautiful woman every morning. I would never get to watch my children grow inside her belly. I would never get to see her wonderful smile again, or her beautiful blue eyes or even hear her enchanting voice ever again. While I may have imagined, never in a million years did I allow myself to accept that things would end up like this, or that this was the fate that'd been awaiting me and the girl I loved with every fiber of my being. Everything felt so completely wrong without her presence, yet there was seemingly nothing I could do to make it all better for myself. All that I seemed capable of doing was bawling over the abrupt loss of the only girl I had ever loved within my lifetime. And in those few minutes, in the back of the ambulance, believe me, I cried. I cried like I have never cried before. I begged and I screamed and I pleaded with God. All I wanted was one last chance to make things right. To do things the right way.

That was when they plunged a syringe of adrenaline into her chest.

That was when the CPR started.

In that moment, I had never been so happy and so relieved to hear the annoying sounds of a beeping heart monitor.

"Nicholas," Miley began in a serious tone as she walked into the living room, dressed for bed, "Did you forget to pick up face wash at the store again? How many times do I have to remind y-"

"No, it's under the sink." I smiled at her. She paused, seemingly embarrassed with herself for a second as she smiled back before leaving out of the room again.

It's been almost four months since they released Miley from the hospital and I was happy to say that things have pretty much gotten back to normal. Mi had taken some psychotherapy a few months back to deal with the fact that she killed a man. But she's finally forgiven herself for that. However, the nightmares still occasionally pop up.

Miley came back out into the living room with a smile on her face. She straddled my lap and leaned in to kiss my lips softly.

"Are you coming to bed?" She asked. I smiled up at her slightly. Ever since we got back home, she wouldn't go to bed until I was there next to her. It provided a certain comfort for her that I probably wouldn't begin to understand, so I didn't question it and I would sit and wait for her to want to discuss it.

"You know, you can go to bed without me sometimes. It won't be the end of the world." I stated.

"I know I could, but what wife wants to sleep alone while her husband sits up all night watching TV?" She asked. I laughed at her lightly.

We had gotten married about a month ago. Nothing big or fancy. Just something simple at the court house with Joe and Selena as witnesses' and ever since we uttered the words "I do" I finally felt as though things were going to be okay for us.

"Fine…" I stood and carried into the bed room. "I give in." I laid her on the bed and she brought her lips to mine once more.

I couldn't begin to tell you how much I lover her lips.

"Oh yeah," She pulled away, "And by the way? Joey called. He said he was going to stay with Buda and Selena for the week."

"Good for him." I stated.

Apparently, somewhere along the way while trying to keep me from being killed, Joe and Selena fell infatuated with each other. And now they spend every weekend commuting back and forth between their respective homes to see one another. I don't know how they do it. I wouldn't be able to stand being away from Miley for any long period of time.

"Bad for Buda." Miley laughed.

"I think Buda's just glad we're all still alive and not getting into any trouble." I replied with a smile.

"I wouldn't say any trouble." She began, "Because I must admit, I kind of got myself into a little predicament." I looked down at her sternly.

"What did you do now?" I asked. She furrowed her brow at me and pushed me aside.

"What did I do? I'm afraid this has a two person involvement!" She stated. I looked at her confusedly.

"I don't understand." I sat up she turned to me, a slight blush in her cheeks.

"Nick... I'm pregnant."

_Can't… Breathe… _

"What?" I asked as I felt my heartbeat speed up. Did I hear her correctly? Did she just say what I think she said?

She bit down on her lip slightly. "We - as in you and I - are having a baby."

The journey ahead of me is one I always knew I was eventually going to take and I've been ready to take on anything and everything, except this. I could face anything from a stab wound to a bullet hole, but this… this was new and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. But I was willing to travel it anyway. I would be brave and stand beside her the whole way. It may not be the quest to save a 'damsel in distress' from her deranged step father, or the bravery to stare death in the face just to save the life of the man you love but it was just as big and as scary as any of those adventures and if anyone could survive it, I knew for certain that it would be Miley and I.

And just like every time before, we would survive it.


End file.
